Aesir of Sunnydale
by Janusi
Summary: Not everything buried in Sunnydale is a mystical item of unspeakable evil, as the Scoobies are about to find out.
1. Chapter 1

**Aesir of Sunnydale**

_I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology. While I may borrow some things for other modern interpretations of the mythology, *cough*Marvel*cough*, this is not set in that universe._

_I'd like to take note of two sources of inspiration for this story, namely anoutherlostsoul's An Echo of Thunder and becuzitswrong's Buffy's Hammer. Both great stories that sparked my idea and both can be found... on another site.  
_

_This story starts right after the episode "School Hard" so this is not yet another Halloween story._

**Friday Night**

"Giles, are you sure about this?" Buffy asked while scouting out the tunnel ahead. "Because I could be out dancing, mingling. Might even have some fun. I think I deserve one night of fun before facing the annual vampire crusade."

Behind her, Giles gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm quite sure, Buffy. And attacking now makes good sense. For the last two days they've been preparing themselves for the night of Saint Vigeous. Chanting, fasting and performing self-mortification to whip themselves into a berserker-like state on Saturday night."

"But enough about the Cordettes," Xander piped in from behind the librarian. "Tell us about the vampires." Clutching a bottle of holy water, Willow gave a nervous chuckle at the joke.

Sending the boy a look consisting of equal parts irritation and understanding, Giles went on. "Right now, they are completely focused on attacking. So they won't be expecting to be attacked, giving us the element of surprise. This will cut down the numbers we will have to face tomorrow."

Buffy suddenly stopped. "That's a great theory, Giles. But I think the vamps decided to celebrate early." From the darkness up ahead came several growls and then they appeared. Vampires, each wearing their demonic visage, their eyes almost glowing with hunger.

"Nobody has any respect for tradition anymore," Giles muttered before lifting his crossbow and firing it. It was a direct hit, dusting one of the undead instantly. Xander fired his own crossbow too, but while his bolt did stop one of the vampires it didn't kill it. Instead, the female vampire gurgled as it tried to yank the arrow out of her neck.

The rest of the demons took no head of their compatriots misfortune and kept coming in a measured pace.

***

Seeing the near mindless state these vampires were in, she knew what she had to do. "Keep them of my back," she ordered before charging to meet them. The vampires responded by starting to run too, their focus completely on attacking.

That focus was so complete that they didn't even make a move to defend themselves when she began to punch and kick them. She didn't go for the kill right then, she had to stop their charge first. So instead of just taking her opponents out she maneuvered them into each other, letting them collide and stake them while they were entangled with one another.

A vampire managed to rush past her but was dusted immediately by a crossbow bolt. The front row still on the floor, Buffy thought herself safe for the moment when a vampire leapt over the prone bodies and onto her, dragging her to floor with him.

The bloodsucker didn't waste time on gloating or talking of any kind. It simply hissed as it opened its mouth and began to lower it to her neck. The vampire was interrupted by a bottle of holy water shattering on his face. With a scream he fell back, smoke rising from his face. Frantically it tried to wipe the burning liquid off with his sleeve as he paddled back.

Buffy flipped back on her feet. "Thanks, Willow." Xander and Giles' crossbow-work had kept the others back while she was down and now the survivors were wary. One of them was bleeding from a neck wound but none spoke, even now. It kind of unnerved Buffy, she was used to more vocal opposition.

She was about to go on the attack herself when Willow yelled. "Buffy!" It stopped the Slayer in her tracks but she didn't look back. If she did that, the vampires would pounce.

Then Giles spoke up. "Buffy, we need to retreat. There are more coming from behind. There's a passageway on your left, we'll use that as our escape route."

Her hand tightened its grip on her stake at the news. "You go first, I'll keep them busy." She dimly recalled the passageway Giles had talked about. It was a narrow thing that lacked even the scarce light the tunnel, that they were in now, had.

Slipping her hand into her jacket pocket, she waited while Willow and then Xander ducked into the passageway. She could hear the new group of vampires coming now, only interrupted once by the twang of Giles' crossbow. "Buffy, they're in. Time to go."

It was that moment that the vampires choose to renew their attack, but Buffy had expected just that. Whipping the opened bottle of holy water from her pocket around, she splashed almost every demon in the face. The one that had managed to cover his face in time got the bottle thrown at him, stunning him for a few precious seconds.

Only now did Buffy turn around and duck into the passageway herself, the new group of vampires hot on her heels. It wasn't long before she caught up to Giles, at which point she turned around and snap kicked the vampire behind her. It came to a dead stop, causing a pile-up as the demons behind it didn't react in time.

Walking backwards now to keep an eye on their pursuers she didn't notice right away that she'd exited the passageway until she bumped into Giles. "Guys, we can't stand around. We've got to…" As the turned around she noticed they were in a crossroads and that every other tunnel was filled with vampires. "Oh, I see."

Growling could now be heard from the way they came. They were surrounded. "I'm sorry," Buffy said to her friends. Her words, however, were drowned out by a sharp crack. Looking down, she saw a spiderweb of fissures growing under their feet.

The next thing she knew they were all falling through the floor and down into a circular room. A room with a very high ceiling through which they had just fallen. Buffy had a moment to see four stone statues standing at the bottom, a glimpse of metal coming from all four of them. Then the floor rushed upwards to meet them and the world turned black and very painful.

Vainly trying to draw breath, she felt something fall on top of her. With the feeling of cool metal draped over her cheek, the life drained out of Buffy Summers.

***

Wailing echoed through the factory. "Dru, it's alright. Whatever's wrong, your Spike is going to make it all dead and quiet for you. Shhh," Spike soothed Drusilla. Or tried to, because the insane seer didn't calm down.

What she did do, was lower the volume of her lamentations. And then she started talking. "Down and down they go, where it ends no one knows. Oh Spike," she turned to look him in the eyes. "The Slayer and her friends fell down the rabbit hole and now we're all in Wonderland. But we're not getting our tea because the Queen doesn't like us." Drusilla's gaze started to wander again. "She thinks we're bad people, off with their heads. "

Stroking her hair, Spike tried to figure out what his sire was talking about. "There, there Ducks. Don't you worry, if the Queen gives us trouble it'll be her head we'll hang above our bed." This would be so much easier if Spike knew what was prophecy and what was just insane gibberish.

**Saturday Morning**

The alarm clock's incessant ringing woke Buffy up. Grumbling about how early it was, she smacked it to silence it only to feel the timepiece crumple under her hand. "Not again," she moaned now more awake. "I thought I had that under control." Now she would have to spend a part of her precious allowance on a new one.

Getting up, she was halfway to her closet before she noticed she wasn't wearing her PJ's. In fact, she was wearing the outfit she'd been wearing last night. When they'd gone to take out that nest, when they'd fallen into a trap and just kept on falling and falling…

'Willow, Xander, Giles. We all fell, I died. I know I did.' She shuddered as she remembered the feeling. That far too familiar feeling of your life leaving your body. But now she was fine. 'The guys, I got to find out if they're okay.'

_"They're fine."_ Came out of nowhere.

Looking around wildly, Buffy couldn't find the source of the voice. She knew it was close, even though she couldn't tell how she knew that.

_"Down here, between what you laughably call tits, you airhead."_

"Hey!" As she looked down, she became aware of the difference in weight of her pendant. Fishing it up by its chain revealed a small silver hammer. Buffy frowned at that, wondering where the cross Angel had given her had gone to. "Where did you come from?"

_"From Svartálfheim originally. And don't bother asking where that is. I don't have the patience to explain it to you and you lack the attention span to listen to it."_

Narrowing her eyes at the offending piece of jewelry, Buffy bit off her sharp retort. There were more important things then that. "My friends are alright?"

_"The others healed their injuries like I did yours. Afterwards, Gungnir sent everybody to their place of rest, so all your friends should be safely asleep in their beds."_

Nodding to herself, Buffy went over to the phone to check out the story. Only then she realized she should find it strange that an amulet could talk.

***

Groggily, Willow came to as the sound of her phone ringing pulled her back to the waking world. Still half-asleep she picked up the phone. But when she was about to speak, she got distracted by the sight of Xander bolting upright at the foot of her bed. "Not the cheddar!"

'What's he doing here?' Willow wondered. It had been a while since their last sleepover, they were getting a little old for that after all. 'And there's something different about him…'

Buffy's concerned voice interrupted her musings. "Willow? Are you there? Didn't the fall hurt you?"

"I'm here Buffy, so is Xander. Which is odd because I don't…recall…Oh my God! We fell, and I landed on something hard and my head, my head felt like it had been smashed…" Willow babbled as the memories flooded back.

Unconsciously, her hand felt the back of her hand as she recalled hitting the unyielding stone floor. Only to encounter a metal disc holding her hair. She could feel metal wires threaded through her locks too, keeping what Willow assumed was a brooch of some kind.

She had just thought of examining it, and hadn't even moved her hand yet to feel for the release, when the wires moved on their own. Retracting into the disc until she held it in her hand. Bringing her hand around she saw it was silver and had the face of a woman engraved on it framed by long, free flowing hair. The only thing that wasn't silver were her eyes which were blue gems that looked very life-like somehow. And then the woman winked at her.

That was just one shock too many. On the phone, Buffy told her to breath. "I-I think I am going to faint now Buffy. Talk to you later." Having said that, she promptly slumped back on the bed and did exactly that.

***

With a yawn, Giles sat up in bed trying to get his eyes to focus and failing completely. 'Where are my glasses?' he wondered as he looked around his bedroom trying to find. It was only when he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes that he realized he was already wearing them.

Removing the spectacles, the world snapped into focus. Experimentally, he tried putting them back on and found the world getting blurry again. Giles took them off and looked puzzled at the glasses. Which is when he noticed he was not dressed in his usual sleeping attire. 'That's the clothes I wore last night when-Oh Lord, when we stumbled upon all those vampires. And we fell. What happened to the children?'

Concern twisting his stomach into knots, he got up out of bed. Without thinking his left hand planted the cane it held on the floor as he stood up. The Watcher looked down bewildered at the walking aid. 'Where did this come from?' It's grip seemed to be solid steel and he could feel the markings etched into the metal underneath his hand.

_"From the hall you fell into,"_ a voice replied from nowhere. Except, Giles was absolutely certain it had come from the cane. In a reflex born of caution, he let go of the cane and stepped away from the obviously unusual piece of wood. Yet the cane did not fall over, instead it swayed from side to side as it kept itself upright. _"And don't worry about your charges. All of them are in the same perfect health you are in now, one of the advantages of becoming an Aesir. Afterwards, I teleported everyone to their respective resting places."_

Giles had no way of knowing if the item was speaking the truth but even the fact that it was talking pointed to some very strong mystical forces at work here. "What are you?"

_"I am Gun__gnir."_ The cane grew without warning, its metal grip changing into a spearhead covered in runes, before returning to its previous form. _"I was once wielded by the being worshiped as Odin."_

"The god Odin?" Giles gasped. If he recalled correctly, that deity was supposed to carry a spear. The word Aesir sounded familiar too, come to think of it. There was a connection there. Unfortunately, Scandinavian lore was not his area of expertise.

_"Several of my wielders were worshipped as such, though not all. But that is part of a bigger story and one that I am sure you will want to verify using your tomes. Not to mention your desire to make sure your young charges are indeed where I claimed they are. So go and contact them with that device you call a telephone. I am sure they have questions and I would be best suited to help you answer them. The others do not share my skill in the scholarly arts."_

Keeping one eye on the swaying cane, Giles did exactly that.

***

Buffy wasted no time with pleasantries after she entered the library. "You said on the phone that you know what happened? And I need to know, because I already wrecked a clock and two doors this morning."

Looking up from his book, Giles didn't seem to know what she was talking about right away. "Hmmm? Oh yes, yes. I've just spent the last hour validating the information I received and it's absolutely fascinating." Seeing the look on his Slayer's face, he didn't go into details. "But I want to wait until the others arrive before explaining it."

Buffy could understand that so she took a seat and started to play with her new, insulting pendant by swinging it around. The little pervert had actually suggested she hung him up somewhere with a good view when she took a shower. She'd said no, of course. And had forbidden it to go rifling through her memories looking for any nudity scenes right after, once she realized the little pervert could do that. She'd almost made the mistake of contacting it once she was in the shower when she found out she was a real blond now. That was a shock.

Playing with the chain also helped distract her from the feeling she was getting from the Hellmouth. She'd started picking up on it when she was still three blocks away. At first she hadn't known where the feeling of wrongness had come from. Buffy thought she was imaging things but the feeling just got stronger as she got closer to school. Surprisingly, it didn't feel evil. It was simply unnatural, that energy had no place in this world. Buffy knew that instinctively.

She didn't have to wait too long before she heard two people approaching so Buffy looked expectedly at the doors, eager to see her friends and make sure they were really fine. The doors swung open and two people stepped in that the Slayer immediately recognized as Willow and Xander even though they looked very different now.

Xander almost seemed to glow with health and vigor. 'Wow, he looks yummy.' Went through Buffy's mind. The change was more apparent in Willow. Her hair was now really red and was done into several braids with what looked like slender golden wire threaded through them. 'She looks yummy too,' she considered before she caught the weirdness of that thought.

Moving swiftly on from that, Buffy greeted her friends. "Guys, did you wake up wearing a piece of jewelry spouting insults too or was it just me?"

Willow shook her head. "Oh no, mine's very nice actually."

"Figures I end up with the defective one," Buffy bemoaned. Internally she smiled beatifically at the huffing silver hammer. 'Two can play that game,' she added.

Giles waited until all three had taken a seat before launching into his tale. "I believe I know what happened to us last night after we fell into that room. It's rather extraordinary, the glimpse this has given me into pre-recorded history is… not something you're interested in."

He paused for a moment. "I won't bore you with the details then. The room contained four powerful mystical artifacts that once belonged to, well, four Norse gods. But more astonishing is that according to Gungnir these items didn't just belong to them, they were actually the source of their power."

Xander broke in. "I don't want to jump to conclusions here, but are you saying that anybody that wears one of these things becomes a god? As in an immortal, foe-smiting god?"

"Yes and no," Giles responded. "You must not forget," completely ignoring the fact that none of them knew what he was going to say to begin with, "that most ancient people didn't see their gods like we do today. To them, the gods were individuals that possessed not only awe-inspiring powers but also all the flaws and foibles normal humans could have. They could even die, which brings us to the actual effect these artifacts have."

He had their undivided attention now. "I haven't got the full story yet, but apparently the people that were chosen to wield these items were endowed with various powers such as an extremely long lifespan, enhanced physical abilities and a few others. At some point in time, these Aesir decided to use this power to install themselves as gods."

Grinning, Xander looked down at his left wrist where what looked like a silver watch, but with the dial replaced by a small, round shield complete with boss, was wrapped around it. "I knew there had to be an upside to living on a Hellmouth. And here it is, hello godhood. Hey, since we're the head of a religion now you think we could set our own holidays?"

"Xander, this is serious," Giles grumbled. "These are ancient mystical artifacts of untold age, there is no telling what the consequences could be of using them. We must proceed with care, or all manner of disasters could occur!"

Nodding blithely, Xander asked, "so G-man, what does mine do?"

Her Watcher gave a deep sigh at that and Buffy could sympathize. She was wary too and didn't get why Xander wasn't. "According to Gungnir, you are wearing the Skin of Baldur. According to the stories he was supposed to be invulnerable so I suspect it gives you some manner of protection."

"So I'm invulnerable?" Xander's smile got downright smug. "Cool."

Giles saw the smile too and apparently he knew just what to do. "Yes. According to the story, Baldur gained that protection after his mother asked everything in creation not to harm him." That wiped the smile off of Xander's face. Giles acted like he didn't notice and continued jovially, "Baldur's domain was beauty and peace, by the way."

Xander's expression fell completely. "Awww, figures I end up as the god of sissyness. There is no justice in the world I tell you!"

Willow had been silent so far but now she broke that silence. "Uhm, Giles, what deity did mine come from?"

"Yours is supposed to be the Hair of Sif. I honestly haven't been able to find much on that save that her hair was likened to a golden harvest and obviously your artifact is not her actual hair so I'm afraid I cannot help you with its abilities," he finished apologetically.

Turning his head to look at Buffy he went on, "yours is more famous. According to Gungnir you're carrying Mjolnir, which was the hammer of Thor, the God of Thunder. There are quite a few stories of him slaying various monsters and giants with that weapon."

Not wanting to think any further about her own situation she asked Giles about his. "Wait, Giles. You said four, so where's yours?"

Not saying a word, Giles reached down and when his hand came back up it held a cane which he placed upright on the table. When he let go it stayed that way, although it did sway a little. "This is Gungnir, it belonged to Odin. It's been helping me with my research."

Buffy looked thoughtfully at it. "Not an umbrella? Or maybe a pocket watch? You know, something British."

"His original form is a spear," Giles explained. "But honestly Buffy, must you think of me as a stereotype?"

The blonde mulled that over. "Yes," she nodded to herself. "Yes, I must. I can't help it, it's just what you were born to be Giles."

Her Watcher made a motion to take of his glasses, no doubt to wipe them clean, but stopped halfway when he remembered he wasn't wearing any. "Stereotypes aside, I must stress to all of you to exert extreme caution with these objects. The inexpert use of mystical forces of this magnitude can have devastating consequences. We must proceed very carefully."

Light illuminated the library from Xander's corner for a moment. When it was gone it revealed a being covered in silver sitting in Xander's chair. The metal had flowed over everything, including his mouth and nose, and had even clumped up his hair. Flexing his arm, Xander's face distorted in a way that hinted at the smile underneath the shining metal skin. "Hey, I look like the Silver Surfer."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Giles finished, "or you can play around with the ancient artifact containing vast amounts of mystical energy and just see what happens."

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	2. Evaluating

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank my new beta-reader Tourette for his hard work._

**Evaluating**

**Mayor's office**

There weren't a lot of elected officials that would work on Saturday, but Mayor Richard Wilkins the Third was an exception to that. Of course, most elected officials didn't have the special bond with their office like Wilkins did. He had founded the town after all. At the moment, however, he wasn't dealing with the regular paperwork that came with the job.

Spread out on his desk was a map, a very special map. He'd pulled it out as soon as the alarm went of on his cupboard. On it was the entirety of his town, but it didn't show just the streets and buildings you would find on other maps. Overlaid on all the plans were splotches and streams of diverging colors showing the various energies at work in the town.

It showed the reason why there were so many mystical artifacts in the area. It was a simple one, really. Any mystical object of sufficient power would start to saturate its surroundings with its energies if it remained in one place long enough. Some parties had tried to use that effect to dampen the Hellmouth by burying powerful artifacts with positive energies in the area.

To counter that, Wilkins had gathered mystical objects possessing more negative energies and scattered them around town. The end result was a hellmouth brimming with energy balanced just right to keep it very active without actually opening, the perfect environment for an Ascension. Except the map now showed one of those powerful, positive artifacts was no longer there.

The area was already starting to lose its charge. At this pace, it would be gone by next year. This was a problem, because his Ascension was at least two years away. "Well, gosh, that's inconvenient."

He pushed the button on his speaker. "Carol, could you tell Allan to come to my office." He didn't have to wait long for his deputy-mayor to come in. "Ah, Allan. I'll get straight to business. It seems somebody stole something very important from somewhere under Darlington Park. I want you to find out who did it and how much they're asking for it."

Allan Finch nodded. "I'll get right on that. But, could you tell me what was stolen exactly sir?"

Sitting down, the mayor swiveled his chair to face the window. "I can't actually, because I don't have a darned idea what was buried there. I lost some good help trying to find out what it was, but in the end all I found out was that it was really well protected. It's probably several objects and from the energies involved I'd say something with a Viking motif."

He turned back to face Finch. "Just start asking around about what happened there last night. What I really need to know is who dug it up, not what was dug up. Best we know who we are dealing with, so I can decide how he should be dealt with," he told the man with a smile.

**Sunnydale High**

Buffy had gone outside, trying to clear her head. Looking back down at the little silver hammer resting in her hand she tried to make sense of it all. One day she had a short life to look forward to, she'd been all too aware of it after the Master had killed her. And then, suddenly, she didn't. Was it true? And was centuries of fighting demons really any better? "So…a god huh?"

_"Why are you so shocked? You should be happy; you're getting to live a long time now. It's not eternal youth, but it will be close. And you get to crush all your enemies in the process too."_

"But I want to be normal," she stammered. "Being a slayer was bad enough, but at least I was still human. Now, now I don't even know what I am."

A mental sigh went through her mind. _"What's so great about being normal? Do normal people have no problems? Are normal people safe from all the evil in this world? If you had no power, could you really walk away from all this and huddle in your home at night hoping the monsters would kill someone else; would you feel no desire to do something?"_

Buffy didn't like those questions. More precisely, she didn't like the answers that came to mind. Because she wasn't the kind of person that could just ignore what she knew. And she didn't even have to say them out loud because Moldy Near heard them anyway.

_"It's Mjolnir you blond bimbo!"_ came the thundering reply. _"And since you know your brooding is stupid, can we please go out and smash something. I'll even settle for a sparring session. But I haven't hit anything in a millennium and that's a thousand years too long."_

Buffy snorted at that. She wasn't convinced that this was a good thing, but she didn't have the time to mope. Tonight was the night of Saint Veggy and she should be focused on stopping that. "That reminds me, what is it you can do?" she wondered.

_"Are you seriously asking a hammer what it does?"_

Narrowing her eyes at the infuriating piece of jewelry she shot back, "You're a little small. Or maybe you're just for hitting leprechauns."

_"That's it. I have had it. Wish me to my full size, flat-chested one, and I will show you a weapon fit for a god."_

With a huff, Buffy did just that and almost dropped the large hammer now in her hand. There were no special-effects to warn her, one moment it was a small silver amulet and the next it was a war hammer over half as long as Buffy. Its shaft and head were made out of a dark-gray metal, the handle wrapped in something like leather that ended in a loop. The head looked like a mix between a hammer and an axe, with one side being a hammer and the other definitely not.

All in all, it looked like it should be really heavy but for some reason it wasn't. Giving it a twirl, a small smile appeared on her face. "Wow." It felt right at home in her hand.

Mjolnir wasn't so impressed. _"Are you trying to see if I can get motion-sickness?"_

***

Concentrating like Blácan Fel had explained, and boy did he need a better name, Xander looked as the section of silvery skin on his left forearm expanded to the sides and then swung up a little, separating from the metal there as it did so. When he stopped, the shield he had made was only connected to the rest of the metal at the wrist. With another thought, he morphed his right hand into a hammer.

_"No superhero references this time?"_

Xander nodded sadly. 'I can't think of any. Well, I suppose I could say Apocalypse or no, wait, how could I forget the Carnage symbiote. It's just like that. Can I shoot spikes too?'

_"Yes, how could you forget,"_ was the dry response. _"And no, you can't force any part of the skin to separate. It strives to remain whole at all times. Oh, and don't even think of calling me Carnage or Venom."_

'Wasn't going too,' Xander responded. 'Hey, what about Solid Silver?'

_"I'd rather you didn't."_

Any further deliberation about a new name for his armor was stopped by Buffy entering the library carrying a really big hammer on her shoulder. "We still have that vampire celebration tonight," Buffy started. "And before I let you come with me on patrol using that silver skin thing, I need to know what you can do Xander. So we're going to have a spar."

"Are you certain Buffy?" Giles queried.

But it was Xander that answered. "You were there last night, weren't you? Buffy had enough trouble dealing with a small group of them and they're supposed to be even stronger tonight. And now that I got goddified, ehm…" That didn't sound right.

"Deified," Willow supplied

"Right that," Xander nodded in thanks. "Now that I got turned into the Juggernaut I can really help. I'm going to help," he stated with some force. "And you can't stop me. So let's see what I can do," he said as he turned around to face Buffy. Who was giving him a measuring look.

Giles spoke hurriedly. "Not in the library you don't. If you insist, go outside and for God's sake start slowly. Without your armor or that hammer, because… Oh never mind, I'll come along to supervise. If I can't stop you at least I can try and contain you."

"Great, it's a deal." That wasn't the end of the discussion though, because the next question was where they could spar. It was daylight outside and a Saturday, ruling out most of the town. The school grounds were deserted and so they settled on the courtyard. It was open and the grass would help cushion any falls.

A few minutes later, Xander stood facing Buffy who was once again wearing the hammer pendant. His own metal skin had flowed back into his bracelet. He was feeling confident, he'd been feeling really good since this morning. He felt strong and full of energy. And according to Giles, this was just the start.

_"Don't underestimate Mjöllnir__'s wielder,"_ Blácan Fel warned him. _"His wielders always tended to have above average strength even for an Aesir. Your natural abilities have been enhanced, but so have hers."_

'Don't worry,' Xander thought back. 'This is just to prove I can help with slayage now.' And he should make that clear to Buffy too. "Don't worry about me Buffy, I'm a lot tougher now."

Giles wasn't comforted by that statement. "Yes, well all the same I think it would be best if we didn't test that claim today. Let's start slowly."

Taking that as the starting signal, Xander advanced on Buffy who just stood there in an approximation of a fighting stance. Irritated, Xander put a little more force behind his punch than he originally planned. But it didn't matter because the Slayer evaded it with ease. The same happened with his next swing and the one after that. He might have become stronger, but becoming an Aesir obviously didn't magically give you fighting skills.

'Dammit, she'll never take me seriously this way.' And why should she? He was just flaying around. Buffy sidestepped a kick, then caught it. But instead of taking advantage of that, the Slayer simply let go. Xander went back to punching, pushing himself to go faster.

"Xander," Giles called from the side. "Xander, I think that's enough." But the boy wasn't listening, focused as he was on Buffy. Feeling frustrated, Xander forgot to hold back and when he missed with his next attack, he turned the swing swiftly into an elbow-strike driving his joint straight into Buffy's chest with all his might and weight behind it.

With a whoop Buffy went flying. Until she smashed into a tree with an audible crack. Wide-eyed, Xander watched as she bounced of the tree and landed on her feet revealing the splintered bark where Buffy had hit the tree. "Buffy, I'm sorry. I just got carried away there and…" And sent her flying.

"It's alright, I wasn't paying enough attention," Buffy countered. Rubbing her chest a little she started to move towards Xander. "Besides," and she started to smile, "that didn't really hurt." She looked back for a moment. "Not as much as it should," the Slayer continued thoughtfully.

Rolling her shoulders she went on to compliment Xander. "But that was good. Most vamps don't have that kind of strength." Xander started to smile, until he heard Buffy's next words. "Of course, their technique is better. You're telephoning your every move a century before you even make it."

Xander didn't have a snappy comeback to that; especially because it was true. "So, ready for round two?" Buffy asked as she made her hammer reappear.

"Try me." With a thought he made his armor cover him from head to toe. This time, Buffy came to him and Xander realized, 'This is going to hurt.'

***

Willow winced as the sound of metal hitting metal rang through the courtyard again. She recognized both weren't going full out. Buffy, for one, was holding her hammer with just one hand halfway on the handle and Willow knew her physics. She knew what it meant to shorten the fulcrum in that way. But the sound they produced seemed to indicate otherwise.

And Buffy had no problem turning a weakness into a strength, like she did right now. Blocking Xander's punch with the hammer's head, she proceeded to knock that arm out of the way with the lower part of the handle before striking him across the face with the butt-end of the weapon on the return swing. Xander's face snapped to the side and he even stumbled a few steps back, but then he recovered and charged right back in.

_"Don't worry so much, they're just having some fun."_ Siffy said when Willow grew concerned they were going too far. That wasn't the brooch's real name, but she'd accepted the nickname readily enough. After making Willow promise never to speak it out loud. _Of course, the sight would be more appealing if they followed the old way and sparred naked. Still, modern clothing and Baldur's skin are revealing enough to keep us entertained."_

Willow blushed furiously at that comment and the involuntary imagining of how it would look if Xander and… Eep! Siffy's throaty chuckle didn't help. A bang, even louder than the ones she'd heard so far, brought her attention back to the fight. Just in time to see Xander go flying through the air on a direct path with one of the columns lining the walkway.

There was no time to think, only to act and the next thing Willow knew she had done just that. Several of her braids shot out, lengthening in the process, and wrapped themselves around Xander catching him. The courtyard seemed to have suddenly go very silent while Xander just hung there, effortlessly held up by Willow. "Uh," Willow began.

But she didn't know what to say. She should at least feel the weight, shouldn't she? But she didn't, it was like holding up a bag of feathers or some such. With an idle thought she lifted Xander's silver form a little higher. That did get a reaction out of Xander. "Hey Willow, I'm really grateful for catching me. And it's fantastic you figured out what that hair-thingy does. But could you please put me down now?"

Willow felt a little offended on Siffy's behalf for that comment so instead of gently lowering him, she just released Xander and let him fall on his butt. Her hair returned to its original length as fast as they had shot out to catch Xander. "It's not a hair-thingy Xander, and she's got feelings. You don't see me going around calling yours, ehm… Something really insulting."

"Yes, well," Giles broke in. "Proper respect for the sentient mystical artifacts aside, I think I've seen enough. I concur with Buffy that you are as strong as, well, a slayer now. But your technique is very, very rough. I must advice you against fighting vampires when you're not wearing your armor. That is, without support. But I believe it's safe enough to use these items on patrol. Just, try and keep the property damage to a minimum."

"Don't worry G-man, we'll be very careful on our way to stop the charging hordes of the undead," Xander promised as the silver metal streamed back into his bracelet. "We'll look both ways twice before we cross any street," Buffy chimed in.

Giles turned his eyes skyward. "Well as long as you observe all the traffic-rules I can't imagine anything going wrong."

_TO BE CONTINUED_

_Blácan Fel, for those of you who were wondering, is supposed to mean shining skin. Unfortunately, my research-fu had an off-day and I accidentally mixed germanic with old icelandic. But I liked the name so I decided to keep it._


	3. New Players in Town

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank my new beta-reader Tourette for his hard work._

**New Players in Town**

**Saturday Night**

His lungs pulling in much unneeded air, Scott Dottemeier ran for all he was worth. He had thought he'd hit the jackpot when he'd became a vampire. Eternal life free from worry or guilt sounded great and the first few years had been just that; a heady orgy of blood and violence.

He hadn't believed in the Slayer and had come to Sunnydale because he'd heard the Hellmouth gave you a nice buzz. Finding out that the one girl in the entire world that was the bane of the vampire's existence did exist and lived in Sunnydale had been a bummer. But he'd just steered clear from her and the wackos of the Aurelians with their stupid plans for Armageddon and joined a group of like-minded, sensible individuals.

His existence went on, the Order of Aurelius got decimated and Scott felt pretty good about his choices. Then the fellas had told him about this vampire festival, the night of Saint Vigeous, and how it was going to be a blast. The preparations weren't really his thing, but he was a team player so he went along.

After three days and nights of singing, flaying and not eating so much as a rat he had been so psyched out and hungry he hadn't cared where Brian was leading them. And when they'd encountered the Slayer and some other people Scott had attacked them right alongside the others.

He hadn't been stupid enough to attack the Vampire Slayer herself, but it hadn't mattered. The guy in silver had sent him flying through half of the cemetery with one punch. That had knocked the sense back into him, after he'd come to. 'I'm leaving this crazy ass town tonight. This shit isn't worth it!'

Dottemeier realized he must have been out longer than he had thought, because what should have been an escape route directly away from where the Slayer was, now turned out to be a path straight to her. Coming to an abrupt stop he looked around for a way out. He gulped when he saw the silver guy coming at him from the right, but what was on his left looked a whole lot better.

A gorgeous redhead that didn't wear a funky, silver outfit and wasn't the Slayer. She was the perfect hostage to keep the super powered freaks of his back. He rushed the girl noting as he got closer that she had chopsticks of all things weighing down her braids. Then there was movement and suddenly one of those sticks was stuck in his chest.

Just as fast the piece of wood was pulled out and Scott realized she was a freak too, just a different kind. "I should have stayed in crappy Canton," he told the universe just before he turned to dust.

***

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as the vampire's ashes fell to the ground. When that vampire had gone for Willow her heart had leapt into her throat. For about a second which was the amount of time that demon had lasted.

She'd known Xander would be safe after he'd walked away from their sparring without as much as a bruise but Willow was another story. She wasn't wearing some metal suit that protected her from any attack. But that hair of hers had some wicked moves of its own. 'Guess they can both take care of themselves now.' That thought was a real comfort.

As for herself, she'd had no problem with these vampires. They were supposed to be stronger tonight but Buffy hadn't noticed. That was really odd. They weren't moving any faster than Xander had during the spar nor had they hit as hard as last night. Buffy hadn't even used Mjöllnir; her stake had been enough to dust them all. 'And why weren't you complaining about not getting a chance to hit anything?'

_"Oh please,"_ Mjöllnir answered. _"It would be insulting to think these vampire-weaklings were a threat; one which would actually warrant my use! Don't tell me this was the best the Hellmouth has got,"_ the hammer lamented.

'Yes and no,' Buffy thought back. 'There were a lot more vampires out than normal but tonight they weren't really big on the whole thinking thing. No tactics, no technique and no talk. I mean, there were several devastating puns I could have used but that's pointless if the bloodsuckers are reduced to grunting and growling.'

_"Your life is hard,"_ Mjöllnir interjected with all the sarcasm it could muster.

Buffy accepted the remark in mock earnest. 'Thanks, glad someone finally noticed.'

"I think that was the last one," she said out loud. "Good work, the both of you. I suppose I should stop thinking I'm the only one with superpowers around here."

"Oh, you're still our big gun Buffy," Xander told her with Willow nodding she agreed. "You didn't have to whip out that hammer once. I think I hurt more of them with my face than with my hands."

"And I only slew three," Willow added. "You took out more than half on your own. We might have our own powers now, but you're the only one that knows how to fight."

Smiling, Buffy thanked them. "But really, I don't need a pep-talk. Being the Slayer is plenty special for me. No, the only one that's not happy is Mjöllnir here," she vaguely waved at the hammer-pendant resting on her top, " because he didn't get to hit anything."

They walked out of the cemetery in silence. None of them felt very sleepy yet, despite the hour and all the fighting they'd been doing. And since it was a Saturday, they didn't have to worry about school the next day either. So they walked, soaking up their surroundings through their improved senses.

"Oh, guys, speaking of powers. Ehm, did anybody else think the vampires looked… strange?" Willow asked.

"You too?" Buffy wondered. "I just thought it was me. When I first saw them, I knew right away what they were. I thought it was because they were wearing their game faces, but now that I think about it. They weren't wearing them at the time."

Xander added his two cents. "They looked dead, real dead. I just knew that they weren't alive, that there was something inside of them using it as a disguise. Something evil and hungry." Xander's face scrunched up in thought. "It was like seeing without using my eyes. It was weird."

"Well, being able to tell who is a vampire on first sight would make my job a lot easier," Buffy joked.

Willow's eyes widened suddenly. "Oh, oh, oh, Buffy. What about Angel?"

"What about him?" Buffy asked. And then she got what Willow was trying to say. "He's a vampire," the Slayer whispered.

Willow put her worry into words. "What if he looks like that to us now too?"

"Then we could call him Deadboy," Xander supplied with a grin. Which wilted under the combined glare of his two bestest and very female, friends. "Or we couldn't. I'm sure he will look like his usual pale, older self." The glare didn't let up. "Shutting up now."

Buffy turned her eyes forward, not looking at anything in particular. "I'll ask Giles tomorrow what he knows about it. It could just be something about tonight, it is supposed to be special," she ended. But Buffy didn't think so. 'It figures there's a catch, there always is.'

**Monday Morning**

Buffy still felt slightly depressed as she walked over to her friends who were waiting for her in front of the school. Giles had confirmed that it was their senses, that they could "see more of their surroundings" than before; whatever that meant. What it came down to for Buffy was that she had no desire to see Angel right now. And that she left Mjöllnir in her jewelry-box at home.

Not that it helped. While she wasn't getting any lip from the peanut-gallery right now, she still had all of her powers. And now that it had been pointed out to her, she could see the life in the people around her. And that at least two of them had some kind of illness.

She was very grateful for her friends, who sensed her mood and didn't try to lift it. They'd been there when Buffy got the confirmation about their enhanced senses; they knew she just needed a little more time to process it. After that, after that she would face the music. And go see Angel.

***

Holding court at her locker, Cordelia was about to lead her flock to class when she noticed Buffy and her friends walk by; as did almost everybody else. They weren't dressed differently, nor was there anything about them you could point at and say that it wasn't there before. But those three no longer looked like the losers and they didn't give off that vibe.

With Buffy, that wasn't too big a leap. If Cordelia had to be honest, under duress of course, she would admit that the blonde looked almost presentable. But Xander and Willow? The dork still wore those awful shoes but the package above that was actually gorgeous. Willow's hairstyle looked almost exotic and made you forget about the Sears collection she was wearing.

Closing her eyes and then opening them again, Cordelia confirmed she was not seeing things and a surreptitious pinch revealed this wasn't a bad dream.

"Wow, who where those two with that weirdo Buffy?" Harmony asked.

Not giving in to the impulse to sigh, Cordelia was glad to see the rest of her friends looked strangely at Harmony too. Honestly, the in-crowd should start having a minimum IQ requirement. She waited until Aura had explained to the clueless girl that it had been Xander and Willow before detaching herself from the group so she could make her way to the library. There really was only one explanation for what she'd just seen. The apocalypse was coming, again.

Barging into the library she didn't really bother to see if they were alone. It wasn't like anybody else ever came to the library but Buffy and her friends. "Okay, I'll bite. What the hell happened to you three?"

But it wasn't the librarian that answered. Instead, a grinning Xander came towards her. "Ah, Cordelia. Exactly the follower I wanted to talk to first."

Cordelia couldn't believe what the doofus had just called her. "What did you call me?" she asked slowly.

The tone seemed to have flown right over the boy. "Follower, although I suppose worshiper would be better. As of Friday Night I became the god of fashion." Seeing Cordelia's slack-jawed expression, he held up a hand. "Please, no need to apologize for your impiety. I am a forgiving god. You don't even have to kneel before me. And if you pray right now, it'll even get answered."

"Riiight." Looking past Xander she asked the girls, "He's kidding, isn't he?" Cordelia hated the questioning tone but this was Sunnydale. Home of the freaky and the weird. And something very freaky and weird was going on here. Still, she was almost certain this was a joke.

Willow slapped Xander lightly on the arm. "Xander, stop fooling around. You are not the god of fashion." Cordelia's subconscious relief got dashed by Willow's next words. "You're the god of beauty, remember."

"What?" It couldn't be true; it had to be a joke. 'There is no way that could be… Even though he does look…

No, don't even go there Chase. Willow is just pulling your leg.'

Giles now entered the discussion. "It would be more precise to say Xander is a god of beauty, well the heir of one really."

'That… That….' Cordelia couldn't really come up with the words to describe…this. Slowly, she made her way to a chair eyeing it carefully all the way to make sure the piece of furniture didn't do anything it wasn't supposed to do; like becoming the Razorback's quarterback. And it could happen, because who knew what was impossible in a world that ended three days ago but was still going on its merry way?

**Mayor's office**

"That was quite some excitement last Saturday, wouldn't you say Allan?" Mayor Wilkins asked jovially standing by the window. "I can't remember a feast of Saint Vigeous going that badly since, well, I can't think of any that ended so badly. For the vampires that is. Having them all die before they can kill a lot of people saves us the trouble of cleaning up another massacre."

The Mayor sat down as he got down to business. "Now, what did you manage to find out about our illegal archeologists?"

The Deputy Mayor fingered his file-folder nervously. "Funny that you should mention the Slayer, sir. It would seem she and her friends were down there. Most of the witnesses died last Saturday but I have one account of them falling through the floor and into a room."

"Oh?" Wilkins leaned forward. "Is that all?"

"No, sir. After I heard the story I sent someone down there with a camera." He handed the file over. "He couldn't get into the room, but he did make these pictures."

The photo's showed a very deep hole, the scarcity of light obscuring most of what was on the bottom. Wilkin's eyebrows climbed at the blow-up showing the single statue that had been clearly visible. "Well, I'll be," he said recognizing the name inscribed at the foot of the statue. "Who would have thought something like this was buried under my town." He tapped the desk with his fingers. "Alright, this could get messy. Allan, I want you to increase the surveillance we have on Miss Summers and her known associates. You can leave out Angelus; he most certainly won't have one of the artifacts."

Nodding, Mister Finch got up. "I'll get right on that, sir."

"Yes, do that." Wilkins said distracted. The Deputy-Mayor was already opening the door when the Mayor spoke up again. "Oh, and Allan; don't use any of our more exotic staff-members for the job. We wouldn't want them to get spotted and maybe tip off the Slayer."

Wilkins began to rifle through his Rolodex after having said this. If things were as bad as they might be, he knew just the "people" that would be very interested in hearing about it. And then they would do something about it. It probably was overkill, but Wilkins couldn't take any chances with his Ascension so close.

'But that's for later,' he promised as he punched in the number. It took him a while; it was a very long-distance call. 'And in the meantime it gives me the perfect excuse to call an old friend. I wonder how his kid is doing?'

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	4. Looking at the Negative

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank my new beta-reader Tourette for his hard work._

**Looking at the Negative**

**Angel's apartment**

Walking down the stairs to Angel's apartment, Buffy couldn't help feeling nervous. This would be the first time she saw him since she became an Aesir and she was worried about what would happen. She'd been delaying the confrontation, hoping that she could get rid of or at least suppress the sight-thingy. She'd even considered getting rid of the power completely, only to be informed by an offended Mjöllnir that it was impossible.

But after the Inca mummy-incident, Buffy had to admit being able to see so much was way too valuable to give it up just because she liked a guy. Okay, really liked a guy. If she hadn't been able to see the mummy's life-force, she would have taken the life-stealing thing home and let it stay in the same house as her mother! It had still managed to kill her exchange-student, poor Ampata.

The guys didn't have her problem with heir newfound status as superheroes. Last night Buffy had just hung back and let them deal with the vampires they encountered; all two of them. She'd even done a little cheerleading routine, which had been fun.

She was convinced now that the guys could handle a patrol without her supervision, and run when things got dangerous, so tonight she would be flying solo while the guys staked out a grave. Giles thought the occupant was going to rise tonight and that usually meant hours of boredom waiting for something to happen. And that the rest of the town wasn't protected.

Having arrived, she took a deep breath before raising her hand to knock and then lowered it while she took another deep breath. "Okay, get it together. Even if you see something you can still work through it, maybe," she argued softly with herself. "Oh, come on. Don't be so shallow, you're better than that."

The door opened just as Buffy went to knock and all of a sudden she was almost face to face with Angel. The sight took her breath away. 'His soul, I can see his soul.' Happiness made her heart dance in her chest. Happiness at finding out her fear was baseless, happiness at just seeing Angel. "Angel." She moved closer to him

But the moment didn't last. Now she saw past the soul to what was caged underneath; the demon, thirsty for her live. It was evil, vile and straining to get out. To reach out and snap her neck, to bite her and drain her dry. It wanted to violate everything that was good and decent.

Angel must have noticed something because his voice held a note of concern. "Buffy?" And he reached out to her with a hand.

Buffy flinched back as the cold, dead appendage neared her. It was dead, dead, dead. It shouldn't be moving. "I can't, I shouldn't," she said as she shook her head in denial. "This was a mistake, I, I need to go." And she bolted away, tears stinging her eyes.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" Angel called after her. But he couldn't follow, it was still day outside.

**Sunnydale High**

"Willow broke the dummy again?" Buffy asked as she watched the librarian replace one of the arms of the training dummy.

"Ah yes, she's still trying to get a good grip on her strength. At least it's only the one arm, easily repaired." Giles' voice was a tad distracted as he finished fastening the arm. "And speaking of training, I know things have been rather quiet as of late and having Willow and Xander helping more has no doubt contributed to that. I know I have been distracted myself by my research." He turned around to face Buffy. "But we must not let our guard down. We should be using this time to prepare for when matters heat up again and they will. Spike is still out there…."

'Am I really this shallow?' Buffy wondered as Giles kept talking. 'Aren't I better than that? It wasn't like I've been ignoring what Angel was before now… Did I?'

The next words of her Watcher did draw her attention. "So we will step up your training, starting this afternoon as soon as you finished doing your homework here."

"And the little slice of life that still belongs to me from, I don't know, seven to seven-oh-five in the morning, can I do what I want then?"

"And you think I don't know what it's like being sixteen, Buffy?"

"No, I think you don't know what it's like to be sixteen. And a girl. And the Slayer." Buffy shot back.

"No-no, I, I don't," her Watcher stammered.

"Or what it's like to have to stake vampires while you're having fuzzy feelings towards one?" Buffy grimaced after saying that as it reminded her of the new complication in her non-existent relationship with Angel. They hadn't even gone on a date yet.

It also distracted Giles from what they were talking about. "Ah yes, Angel. Have you seen him yet?"

For a moment, Buffy wrestled with the thought of lying but then she knew better. "This morning, I went by his place on my way to school. I saw his soul… And then everything else," she finished with distaste.

"I-I really don't know how to advice you on this Buffy. I'm afraid Watcher training left the subject of romance out of its curriculum," Giles kidded. "But I think throwing yourself in training might help. Or at least get your mind off of the subject for a little at least."

"I think hanging out with my friends will help even more! Please?" And she gave him her best pout.

Giles did his best to look unaffected. "It's not getting to me."

***

Watching his Slayer leave the library, Giles almost started to wipe his absent glasses. He'd caved after all. And he couldn't get himself to feel bad about it.

_"The strength of your resolve is a little disappointing. I thought you would at least hold out until she started crying."_

Looking over at Gungnir, who was resting against the counter right next to the door to his office, Giles queried, "would you have done better?"

The mystical weapon didn't respond right away. _"Probably not,"_ he admitted. _"Being unable to communicate with her would have made it hard to say no."_

***

The sun shined down on the three Scoobies as the leaned against the stairs' railing in front of the school. The school was emptying and a steady stream of students was walking past them. Buffy wasn't watching them though, she was too busy soaking in the sun's rays. She didn't notice Cordelia taking care to walk around them, giving Xander weird looks. Something she'd been doing ever since she'd gotten the news of the three's new status.

"So, I was thinking we'd get together after tonight's patrol." Xander started. " I'm thinking Indian TV; sex, lies and story lines which are still incomprehensible even when you can speak the language."

That had been a weird experience, Buffy recalled. Halfway through the film, she'd started to actually understand what the actors had been saying. Apparently that was one of those mental enhancements that came with the Aesir-package. Of course Giles knew about it and now he expected Buffy to pull more of her weight in the research department. 'Let's put that in the negative column,' the blond decided.

Not getting the immediate, positive reaction he'd been hoping for, Xander sweetened the deal. "I'll bring the betel nuts."

Before Buffy could say yes, a hand reached out grabbing her by the arm. Cordelia tried to pull her down the stairs but swiftly gave up on that when even Buffy's arm didn't budge. "Come on, Richard and his fraternity brother want to meet you."

"I don't want to meet any fraternity brothers," she told the cheerleader evenly.

"And if there was a God, don't say a word Harris," Cordelia warned Xander who already had opened his mouth, "He would've kept it that way. But there isn't," she told glaring at Xander, "so it happened." And she started to pull again.

Deciding to get this over with, and to avoid getting nagged by Cordelia, Buffy followed along. Meeting the guy she thought was Richard, Buffy took an instant dislike to him. He looked handsome enough, but the eyes sent shivers of revulsion down her spine. The guy's greeting was an artistic mix of insulting, arrogance and something like pettiness. What little compassion she had for Cordelia that had moved the blond to go along evaporated. "So, not interested," she told the college student and started to turn away.

Only to be grabbed by Cordelia again. "She's quite the little comedienne," she told the guys.

"What, she likes to play hard to get?" Richard actually asked out loud.

"No, Richard. You're playing easy to resist," his fraternity brother told him. That scored him some points in Buffy's book, but not enough to stay. Shooting Cordelia a look to warn the cheerleader not to try and stop her again, Buffy walked away. Only to have Richard's friend follow her.

"Ah, feel free to ignore him. I do that all the time." Mildly interested Buffy stopped to see where he was going with this. "I'm Tom Warner. I'm a senior at Crestwood College and I…and I feel like a complete dolt meeting you this way, so…" Tom chuckled nervously and crossed his arms. "Here I stand in all my doltishness."

The Slayer couldn't help but smile at that rambling introduction. "I'm Buffy Summers."

"Well, nice to meet you. Are you Senior here?"

"Junior."

"Oh, me, too." Seeing Buffy's look Tom shook his head as he corrected himself. "Except that I'm a senior and I'm in college. So we have that in common, and... I major in history."

"Hm, history stumps me. I have a hard enough time remembering what happened last week."

"No, nothing happened last week, don't worry, I was there. " Buffy smiled appreciatively at the joke, which seemed to encourage Tom. "So, uh, my friend," he nodded toward Richard as he said that and at the same time leaned closer, "invited your friend to a party we're having this weekend."

He shrugged. "Actually, he's not even really my friend," Tom admitted. "I only joined the fraternity because my father and grandpa were in it before me. You know, it meant a lot to them." He moved away again. "Anyway, I talk too much. They're really dull parties full of really dull people," Tom summed up. "So... would you like to come and save me from a really dull fate?"

Buffy was about decline his invitation when Mjöllnir chimed in. _"Go, you could use a feast. You don't celebrate enough for a warrior. Drink and be merry, for tomorrow could bring misery." _The blond caught herself from glaring at her chest. The one thing she didn't need was make the people in this town think she was even weirder than they already thought she was.

"I wish I could, but I'm not sure…" She trailed off. 'Maybe Mjöllnir's right, and just because I'm seeing someone,' Buffy mentally winced at her choice of words, 'doesn't mean I can't go to parties. Like a normal girl. No, you're still interested in Angel.' "I'm sorta involved with someone."

"Oh," was Tom's disappointed reply. "Of course you are. Well, thanks for letting me ramble."

"You know, people underestimate the value of a good ramble," Buffy told him in all seriousness. "But I gotta go now. It was nice meeting you." And it was, she reflected as she made her way back; just meeting a nice, normal guy for once who had no idea about all the freakiness that was her world. And who was obviously interested in her, always a nice boost to the self-esteem.

***

Xander watched Buffy walk away from the college guy not feeling all that resentful. "You know," he told Willow as they followed the Slayer to the library to do their own training, "a few days ago I would have hated those guys. With their movie star good looks and more money than you can count."

"Everything does seem to fall into their laps," Willow agreed cautiously.

"Yeah, until we fell straight into the jackpot. Just knowing that when they're old and can only admire their trophy wives, those wives will cheat on them with my still-youthful self really helps put things in perspective."

Willow slapped him on the arm. "Xander!" The accompanying blush had nothing to do with what Xander had said though. The source of that was Siffy's comment on him having the right idea and providing her with a vision of Willow in exactly that situation; in Xander's place.

**Crestwood Cemetery**

Strolling through another cemetery, Buffy couldn't help but feel bored. She hadn't encountered even one vampire yet and it was past twelve. She stopped when her eyes caught the reflection of metal from the ground. She crouched down and found the source, a broken bracelet. Her eyes made out the letters E-N-T even with the lack of light.

Further study of the bracelet was interrupted when Buffy felt a vampire. He was close, he was… there. Not wanting it to be over too fast, Buffy opted for kicking the demon instead of staking him outright. Only to watch shocked as Angel was lifted of his feet and sent flying for several feet. "Angel!" she cried out and rushed to his side; the bracelet falling to the ground, forgotten.

"Are you alright? I'm sooo sorry. I thought you were a vampire. I mean, a regular vampire. I didn't know it was you until… I turned around after I kicked. Have I already told you I'm sorry?"

"Buffy," Angel wheezed. "It's alright. I shouldn't have startled you. Don't worry; I'm made out of stern stuff." He didn't stop her from helping him up though. "I was looking for you. You left in a hurry this morning and I was wondering why? Was it something, something I did?"

"No," Buffy said hurriedly. "God no, it's just that… I don't know how to explain this, how to start… You're a vampire!" she blurted out as her mind calmed down and she became aware once again of what her senses were telling about the man in front of her.

Angel flinched. "But you've known that for a while… I thought, is it a problem?"

"No, yes!" She said, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "I can't ignore that anymore, what you are. What's inside of you. I did for a while and then…it's not working."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Angel whispered softly, not really looking at Buffy. "I'm a vampire, you're the Slayer. You're sixteen, I'm two hundred and forty-one years old."

She still heard every word. "Are you saying I'm a child?"

"I'm saying you don't really know what you're doing, what you want."

'This isn't going well,' Buffy thought. She wasn't explaining things well, or at all. But Angel had no right to say those things either. "I'm trying to figure that out! But that's not the question. The question is: Do you even want to try?" She didn't wait for Angel's response. "I, I can't do this right now. Don't follow me," she told the vampire before she ran off.

At Angel's feet, the forgotten bracelet had become covered by the fallen leafs.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	5. Striving for the Positive

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_Because of real life events, Tourette couldn't continue as my beta-reader. So I'd like to take a moment to thank my new beta-reader Tammin for his hard work and wish Tourette good luck in resolving the situation to his satisfaction swiftly._

**Striving for the Positive**

**Sunnydale High**

Classes seemed to take forever today for Buffy. What made it worse was the fact that she couldn't even really zone-out anymore as a part of her mind was always taking note of the lecture, standing ready to recall it at a moment's notice in mind-numbing detail when she needed it. Angel's words had hurt, especially since she couldn't escape the thought that the argument had been at least as much her fault. Still, 'I'm not just some kid!'

The bell rang and her classmates practically dashed out of the classroom. Buffy herself was slower, not really finding the enthusiasm for academics right now. She'd just finished stuffing her book in her bag when Cordelia entered the room.

"Buffy!" she greeted the Slayer with an obvious pretend-smile. "Did you lose weight? And your hair… Doesn't actually look so bad for a chance," she finished dropping the smile. "Okay, I respect you too much to think you're going to fall for that. So here's the deal, I kind of need your help. And that's real embarrassing but Richard's worth it. And I'm talking about Richard Anderson, okay?" She counted off on her fingers, "as in Anderson Farms, Anderson Aeronautics," now Cordelia started to actually get emotional, "and Anderson Cosmetics." Collecting herself, she went on, "well, you see why I have to go. Buffy, these men are rich. And I am not being shallow. Think of all the poor people I could help with all my money!"

"Yeah, you're a real philanthropist. But what does that all have to do with me?"

"Oh, the Zeta Kappa's have to have a certain balance at their party, and Richard explained it all to me, but I was so busy really listening that I didn't hear much." Cordelia obviously wasn't happy about that. "Anyway, the deal is they need you to go. And if you don't go, I can't. And if I don't go, did I mention Anderson Cosmetics yet? Not all of us are staying eternally young just like that, you know? For some of us, it requires a little help. Just a little," Cordelia added quickly.

Buffy was about to turn Cordelia down when she realized she didn't really have a reason to do so. And maybe it would be good to go out and be with someone that didn't think she was a kid. "I'll go." The Slayer told Cordelia before she could go off on another sale's pitch.

"You'll go?" The cheerleader's smile was genuine this time. "Great! I'll drive. Oh, Buffy, it's like we're sisters! With really different hair." Buffy was getting second thoughts about this, but Cordelia was a friend. Sort of, kinda. 'And the party could be fun!'

***

'Maybe this was a bad idea,' Buffy thought as she sat across Cordelia in the lounge. She'd already lied to Giles over this. She was just glad that his spear didn't turn him into a human lie-detector. That would have been awkward. Then there was Mjöllnir's weird fixation on orgies. Why a magical hammer would be interested in people having sex, Buffy didn't know. But she realized now that her original conclusion that he was a pervert was wrong. He was actually very perverted.

And now she was getting her marching orders from Cordelia. "This isn't about fun. This is about duty, your duty, to help me achieve permanent prosperity. Okay?" She didn't actually wait for Buffy to say anything but ploughed on. "Do's and don'ts: don't wear black, silk, chiffon or spandex. These are my trademarks. And don't do that weird thing with your hair."

This time, Buffy didn't stay quiet. "What weird thing with my…"

"Don't interrupt," Cordelia told her. "Do be interested if someone should speak to you. It may or may not happen, but do be polite. And laugh at the appropriate intervals." She proceeded to give a demonstration. "Do lie to your mom about where we're going. It's a fraternity, and there will be drinking."

The cheerleader gave her a critical look. "Makeup, makeup... Well, give it your all, and keep to the barely lit areas. We're gonna have a blast!" She told Buffy with a wide smile, who promptly let her head fall on the table.

***

Sitting not too far away, Xander observed Cordelia lecturing Buffy. "I can't believe she lied to Giles," Willow complained. "My world is all askew." He noticed Willow was looking at Cordelia too, but the angle seemed a little low. Almost like she was checking out the cheerleader's legs. 'That's crazy,' he concluded a moment later. Why would Willow be looking at girls?

Xander agreed with what she said. "Buffy's lying, Buffy's going to frat parties... That's not askew, that's cockeyed."

"Askew means cockeyed," the redhead informed him.

"Oh." Xander took a swig of his Coke. "Well, it's askew she's lying to Giles and cockeyed she's going to frat parties. One word just doesn't cover the situation, Wills." That was a nice save if he did say so himself.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. I mean, we weren't invited to the party."

"I'm going to the party," Xander resolved still looking at the two girls at the table not having really heard what Willow had said after "nothing we can do".

"What? Didn't you hear me Xander?" Willow asked. "We're not invited and there's going to be drinking, and orgies, don't forget the orgies."

"I haven't," Xander assured her. "But I got to keep an eye on Buffy. Those frat guys creep me out."

"You want to protect her?" Willow's voice carried more than a hint of doubt. "You sure it has nothing to do with the drunken college girls that will be there? Or the orgies?"

"Getting a little hung up on the orgy-thing there, Willow," he joked. "Maybe a little bit," he admitted. "We're seventeen and young gods after all. I'm pretty sure seducing hot, inebriated women is in the job description somewhere."

Xander whipped his head around at hearing Willow's next words. "I'm coming too."

"What?" He couldn't believe Willow had actually said that. And from her own wide-eyed look, neither could she.

"Well, well, well someone needs to keep an eye on you."

That sounded more like Willow. "Alright, it's a date. We're crashing the frat party." He watched in amusement as Willow ducked her head down. She probably was having second thoughts about going, now that she realized it wouldn't be without risk, even if it was risk of the non-life-threatening kind.

**Delta Zeta Kappa Fraternity House**

Swerving into the driveway, Cordelia's car literally crashed to halt as it bumped into another car. At last, Buffy's heart had a change to slow down. 'I thought Amy's mother's curse got lifted? I think my life flashed before my eyes at least twice.'

Cordelia, however, remained blissfully unaware of her lack of driving skill. "Oh, why do they park so darn close to you?" she bemoaned earning a disbelieving look from Buffy. Which Cordelia also didn't notice. "Are you ready for this?"

"I don't know. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Especially when she would have to step into the car again for the drive home.

"Me, too. Let's go!" She told Buffy as she hopped out of the car. The Slayer followed suit, but slower.

When they stepped inside, Buffy was practically assaulted by the sound of dozens of people talking and shouting while the music competed for the listener's attention. She'd been to the Bronze a few times since her senses became enhanced so in theory she was used to it. However, the unfamiliar setting, combined with her own uncertainty over being here, kept her off-balance. Not that Cordelia noticed. "You know what's so cool about college? The diversity. You've got all the rich people, and all the other people. Richard!"

"Welcome, ladies," Richard greeted them as he handed them both a drink.

Cordelia thanked him but Buffy was still uncertain. "Oh, is there alcohol in this," Buffy asked pointing at her drink.

"Just a smidge," he assured her. Which did nothing for Buffy. He still gave off that sleazy vibe. So she was about to set her drink down when Mjöllnir spoke up.

_"Will you stop worrying."_ She'd worn the amulet because it made her feel safer. Like a stake, really. Only people would have looked at her funny if she was cradling that here. Now, she was starting to think that maybe she should have left the pendant at home. _"Unless you start downing entire kegs, you're not going to get drunk, think of it as one of the benefits of being an Aesir. So try the drink and if the taste isn't good, then you put it down. Otherwise, enjoy!"_

The hammer hadn't been wrong about what she could do yet, but still… No, she'd come to have a good time. And normal, seventeen-year olds drank, didn't they? Without further thought she took a sip. 'Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all really. But Richard lied about the smidge, this is more than that.'

And Buffy had no problem letting him know that. "Just a smidge, huh?"

Richard remained unruffled. "I understand. When I was your age I wasn't into grownup things either. Have you seen our multi-media room?"

"Oh, the one with the cherry walnut paneling and the two forty-eight-inch televisions on satellite feed?" Cordelia rattled off. "No. Want to show me?" she asked with wide smile while practically leading him to that room herself.

Richard tried to ask her about Buffy, but Cordelia cut him off. "She's happiest by herself," she assured him leaving the Slayer standing in the corner, alone.

Taking another sip of her drink, Buffy started walking around hoping to find Tom and salvage at least some enjoyment out of this evening.

***

Xander stuck his head in first to see if the coast was clear, before climbing through the window. Looking around again, he waited while the skinny guy wearing women's underwear and a sign saying pledge passed him by. The pledge was carrying a tray full of drinks and Xander liberated two of them to help him fit in more. Once he was gone, Xander helped Willow in handing her one of the drinks right after.

"Oh, Xander, I don't know about this," Willow told him eyeing the small, plastic cup. "What if I get tipsy? What if I get drunk? What if I start taking off my clothes and start dancing on the table and start kissing random people just 'cause I think they smell nice and look pretty in that short …"

Xander interrupted her, he could already see a few people looking their way and he didn't think this was helping with blending into the crowd. "Willow, breathe. You don't have to drink it, just look like you do." He looked her in the eyes and saw her calm down, before giving him a nod that she was okay now. 'A short what?' he wondered. Maybe she was thinking of one the pledges?

"Come on, let's see if we can't find Buffy." He spotted another tray, this one carrying food. "But first, let's get something to eat."

***

"Ha ha, come on sweetheart. Let's dance!" the drunk practically shouted as he staggered towards Buffy. She was still contemplating if she should just step out of the way or do the rest of the girls at the party a favor and knock him out when a hand on her left arm tugged her out of the guy's path. Startled, Buffy couldn't stop it and when she saw who it was that had rescued the drunk, she was glad she hadn't. "Thanks," she told Tom.

"Don't mention it. Not all of us are drunken louts; some of us are sober louts. Can I have this dance?" he asked and only now did Buffy notice the people around her were dancing. Tom had pulled her onto the dance floor, literally.

"Sure," she told him with a smile and she offered him her hand.

The dance was slow and Buffy became aware of just how different a living person was to her senses up close. When compared to a vampire, like Angel. That thought threatened to ruin her enjoyment of the dance when Tom's words pulled her away from those dark musings.

"I'm really glad that you decided to come," he told her. Buffy looked down, a little unsure. "And you're not," he concluded."

"No, it's… I shouldn't be here."

"Because you're seeing someone," he ventured.

It was hard to explain when Buffy was still trying to make sense of it in her own head, but she tried. "No, someone isn't seeing me." And knew she'd failed when Tom asked why she shouldn't be at the party then. "Because I have obligations," she told him. "People that I'm responsible for, or to, or…"

Hearing her dance-partner laugh, Buffy had to join in. She wasn't making much sense. "It's complicated," the blond finished needlessly.

"You're big on responsibility. I like that. But there's such a thing as being too mature." Once again, she was struck by the difference between Tom and Richard. "You should relax, enjoy yourself once in a while."

"You think I'm too mature?" Buffy asked him archly.

Tom chuckled. "I talk too much. Have you picked up on that yet?" He looked around. "Uhm, it looks like the Hulk's gone now so you don't have to dance with me anymore."

Buffy appreciated the gesture, but didn't feel like going. "What if he comes back?" Dancing here with Tom was a lot easier than trying to deal with Angel. And she liked the thought of having an easy part in her life.

***

"Wanna dance?" Willow chirped after taking another drink. Xander eyed her carefully. He'd had a few himself after Fel, and that was really the best nickname he could come up with for the bracelet right now, assured him he could handle it. Apparently Aesir had a very strong constitution which made them resistant against drugs and poisons. But you wouldn't know that from the way Willow was behaving.

She'd accidentally swallowed some of her drink when she was pretend-sipping and had apparently liked the taste. Liked it quite a lot because she started downing them like they were soft drinks. 'Are you sure about that strong constitution?' he asked.

_"Absolutely,"_ was the instant reply. _"I don't understand why she's affected like this. Given the amount she had, she should be tipsy at best if not completely sober."_

'Yeah, well, she isn't,' Xander shot back.

Apparently not answering fast enough, Willow gave him her drink. "Fine, I'll find someone else," she told him with equal cheerfulness. Right then, a girl with dark, curly hair came by and Willow approached her without missing a beat. "Hey, wanna dance?"

The girl looked as surprised as Xander felt at the request. "Uhm." It looked like she was going to say no, but this time Willow didn't want to take no for an answer.

Tilting her head to the right a little, Willow added, "Please?!"

The tone wasn't one Xander had ever heard her use but it was inviting and effective. Xander hadn't even been the intended target and he suddenly wanted to dance with Willow.

It worked on the girl too because she nodded dumbfounded and followed a practically skipping Willow to where a few other couples were dancing. Once there, Willow started to dance slowly with the girl who's face started to slowly redden as people started to notice them. She also couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Willow.

All of this left Xander standing holding two drinks and only capable of uttering three words that summed it up pretty well. "What. The. Hell?"

***

Buffy strolled out onto the patio by herself. The evening's air chilling her exposed arms. She was alone because Tom had to go run some errands. Being one of the few responsible members of the fraternity meant he got stuck making sure the party ran well. But that was okay by Buffy, she could use the time to clear her head a little. She was having fun, but crowds started to grate on her senses after a while ever since she got Mjöllnir.

The sound of something crunching under her feet caught her ear. Looking down she noticed several small pieces of glass lying on the stones. Buffy crouched down to get a better look and even picked up one of the bigger pieces. Looking up she noticed the door to the balcony had been boarded up.

'That's odd,' she mused as she stood up. 'Maybe the damage from a previous party that got out of hand?' She could well imagine that drunk from before storming through a glass door. After all, not everything had a sinister cause. 'Then again, wouldn't that have been repaired by now?' It wasn't like they were partying every night, right?

"You okay?" Tom asks standing behind her. Startled, Buffy let the glass piece drop to the patio.

"Yeah. I was just… thinking," she replied.

It was at that moment that Richard came out and joined them. "To my Argentinean junk bonds that just matured into double digits!" he said as he handed Tom and Buffy another drink.

Sharing a smile with Buffy, Tom added his own toast. "To maturity." And he took a drink with Buffy following suit. Immediately, she noticed the odd taste this one had. It wasn't supposed to be there, Buffy knew that instinctively.

_"Poison!"_ Mjöllnir bellowed. _"The worms are trying to poison you. Bring me forth so we can crush them for daring to betray you."_

The Slayer shot the two guys a look. Cutting Mjöllnir's rant short, she asked him if she was going to be okay.

_"Yes, of course. Your body is already breaking it down and it's non-lethal to start with. It was only supposed to knock you out."_

'And if I drink the rest of this?'

_"You'll be fine,"_ he answered, suspicion coloring his voice. _"Your body learns and will neutralize it even faster with each encounter. What are you planning?"_

In one gulp, she downed the rest of the cup. Richard and Tom shrugged their shoulders and followed suit. 'Find out what's behind this, and then I'm going to have a good time my way.'

***

"Wasn't that fun!" Willow enthused as she and Xander walked down the driveway. The party had run down and they couldn't stay any longer without getting awkward questions like who had invited them. He hadn't caught sight of Buffy and he didn't think Willow had even bothered to look after she started dancing. "I had fun," Willow went on. "Maria had fun too, she told me so herself." He was pretty sure Maria was the girl Willow had been dancing with. "Even gave me her number!"

And that was just the last straw, something seriously wiggy was going on here. "Willow, what's going on? You've been drinking and dancing and scoring telephone-numbers from girls? And not to pass it on to me!" he added.

Willow looked puzzled, and then slowly understanding began to shine in her eyes. "Oh my God," she slapped her hands in front of her mouth. "Oh my God, Oh my God."

"Hey, easy there Willow. Come on, why don't you sit down and talk to me. What happened? Because Fel here was sure neither of us would get drunk from what they were serving at the party."

"I, I, no. I wasn't drunk, I just liked the taste. But then I started to get into the mood, I felt like partying. I felt… free. And then I wanted to dance but you seemed to be distracted and then that pretty girl came by and I thought by myself, "Hey, I can dance with her". And that was fun and she felt so nice and… Xander, I-I'm not sure what's going on… I'm changing but I'm sure I'm not too. Because this feels like me, somehow… What's going on?" she finished.

Hugging Willow, Xander gave up on the notion of going back to the frat house to see if Buffy had left yet. Right now, his bestest friend needed him and he knew Buffy could take care of herself. "I think we need to talk to Giles," he told a shivering Willow.

***

Personally, Buffy thought her performance deserved an Oscar. Since Richard had supplied the drinks, she'd been certain Cordelia was in trouble so she'd acted like the drug had started to kick in and stumbled into the house. Finding Cordelia unconscious but unharmed in one of the bedrooms, she had laid down on the bed and pretended to join the cheerleader in lala-land.

There had been moments when she'd almost broken character, namely when that sleaze Richard had put his hand on her and right after that when Tom had stopped him. Finding out the nice guy was planning on giving her to some thing was just the caper on a fine evening. 'Why, oh why, can't I find a nice, normal guy?'

After that, they'd been dragged down into the basement and chained to the wall. That was when she'd known her plan was the right one, because there already had been a girl there. Nevertheless, the time for pretending was almost up, she just wanted to wait a little longer to see what exactly was behind this.

"Buffy, Buffy! Wake up!" Cordelia said. Buffy tried to ignore her but when Cordelia actually kicked her she couldn't keep still.

"Hey, do you mind?" Buffy grouched.

"No, I don't." Cordelia told her. "Where are we, anyway?"

"In the basement. They drugged our drinks and then dragged us down here," she told the cheerleader.

"Drugged? What the hell are they going to do with us?"

"I don't know, but I don't think we're going to like it."

"I wanna go home," Cordelia whined.

"No one's going home," the girl who had already been chained up said. "Ever. Look, one of them's different than the others. Nicer," she finished as she looks over to where the now robed frat-brothers were assembled.

One had uncovered his back so that Richard could carve a symbol into his skin with a sword. Buffy already knew who it was. "Tom," she whispered harshly.

The new girl continued. "He's the one to watch out for."

Buffy looked up to see how the chains were anchored, then pulled a little to test their strength drawing Tom's attention. "She's last," he ordered.

"Last?" Cordelia asked. "For what? Who's first?! Answer me! Who's first?!"

Ignoring her, Tom strolled over to a well and retrieved something from a bag that was lying there. One by one, he threw the stones in his hand down the well. "Three stones," the Slayer counted. "Three of us."

Now Cordelia started to panic. "Buffy..."

"Stay calm. We'll get out of this," she assured the cheerleader. She supposed she ought to stop this right now and spare Cordelia the mortal fear.

"Why'd I ever let you talk me into coming here?" Cordelia wondered aloud.

Looking astonished at Cordelia, Buffy's mind was made up. She would let Cordelia suffer a little while longer.

What followed next was very enlightening. Chanting about some thing called Machida who they served and who apparently was responsible for their success. And they'd been sacrificing people for a while, judging from the once a year line.

But the chanting was coming to an end, if Buffy judged right. "Come forth, and let your terrible countenance look upon your servants, and their humble offering. We call you, Machida," Tom cried out confirming Buffy's assessment.

Cordelia was finally catching on too. "There's something down there and he's gonna throw us down there with it."

Okay, so she was still a little fuzzy on the details. "I don't think so."

"No? Well, that's good! That, that's..."

"I don't think we go to it. I think it comes to us," she informed Cordelia who started to shout out denials.

They got even louder when the demon rose up from the well. Towering above everybody, Machida looked like your average reptilian demon until you got to his hips. It didn't have legs, instead it had a real serpentine body going down and down into the depths of the well.

It looked horrible enough, but Buffy could see much more. Could see the power coursing through that body. It looked very evil and very hungry. Its power was very unlike a vampire but felt just as unnatural. And there was a lot of it. 'Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea after all.'

Tom started up again. "For he shall rise from the depths, and we shall tremble before him. He who is the source of all we inherit and all we possess. Machida. And if he is pleased with our offerings…"

"Okay, enough already," Buffy spoke up interrupting the ceremony. "We all get it, he's big, he's bad and you losers couldn't run so much as a lemonade stand without him. But you know what?" The Slayer gripped her chains and with a single pull, she yanked them out of the stone. "I'm worse," she told the frat brothers.

Willing Mjöllnir to her hand she began spinning the hammer above her by its strap. "What are you waiting for you future pair-of-boots?" Buffy taunted the demon. Machida didn't let the insult slide. The demon rose even higher and spread his arms resembling a cobra poised to strike. Which he did a moment later, it was what Buffy had counted on.

Releasing her hammer she let it fly, straight for Machida who had no time to duck but by sheer chance had just lowered himself a little. Instead of hitting his chest, like she intended to, Machida got a face-full of Mjöllnir. Something the demon's face and skull couldn't stand up to. Machida's head exploded like an overripe fruit under the impact, barely slowing the magical weapon down.

Surprised, Buffy willed the hammer back just before it hit the wall. She didn't want to know what would happen if she'd let it hit. It was obvious she didn't have a good idea of just how strong she'd gotten. Machida's body came to a sliding stop not far from her.

The next to recover from the shock that had gripped everyone was Tom. "You bitch!" he screamed before charging at her with his sword. Rolling her eyes at the obvious lack of anything remotely resembling swordsmanship she just stood there and received his charge. Buffy batted the sword out of the way with a flick of her wrist, another flick and Mjöllnir's hammerhead tapped Tom's jaw lifting him off his feet. He made a complete somersault before landing on his back on the stone floor, out cold.

"Listen up," the Slayer spoke up as she rested her hammer on her shoulder. "You idiots just ruined one of my few nights off. Right now, I'm really cranky and I got this hammer here just itching to pound something. All you have to do to volunteer for that is remain standing or try to run away. Anybody that doesn't want to wake up in the hospital will sit down and cooperate with the nice police persons who are going to be here real soon. So, do I have any takers?" she finished cheerfully.

***

"I'll be right there," he informed whoever was knocking on the door while he finished putting on his robe. Looking himself over to make sure he was presentable, or at least as presentable as one could expect at this late hour, he answered the door.

His eyebrows rose up at seeing Xander and Willow standing there dressed almost like they were going to a party. 'Or just came back from one,' went through his mind. They also looked worried. Wordlessly, he stepped aside to let them in. Seeing them walk over the threshold was always a relief and recent events hadn't changed that.

"Is something wrong?" he asked the youths as they passed him. Willow and Xander looked at each other, but didn't say anything right away. After a few moments of silent communication, Willow turned her attention back to Giles and started to speak.

"Something happened tonight, with me. Not something bad really," she hastened to add. "Just, I did some things that I haven't done before at the frat party…"

"Frat party?" Giles interjected incredulously. This was sounding more and more like something Willow should be talking about with her parents. Or perhaps Buffy. Even Jenny might be better than him.

Willow shot Xander a panicked look who responded by jumping into the conversation. "Cordelia and… They, I mean she, got invited to this party at the Delta Frappa's or something and we decided to tag along to make sure she was alright. I don't trust college guys,"

"Don't forget about the orgies," Willow added earning looks from both males.

Xander moved on. "But that's not important. This isn't about B-Willow, I mean Cordelia. This is about Willow. She, well, after she started drinking she got kinda not-Willow, you know what I mean. She drank a lot and started dancing with girls."

"Hey, it was only one," Willow corrected him indignantly. Then that emotion drained away leaving nervousness and uncertainty behind. "But I did flirt with her. And I didn't even know I could do that before tonight."

Rubbing his eyelids, Giles desperately wished for his spectacles for a moment. "Let me make sure I understand. Willow consumed a significant amount of alcohol and proceeded to act out-of-character?" The summation sounded like a good explanation to the Watcher, until her recalled his conversations with Gungnir on the various benefits of being an Aesir. One of them included an increased resistance to poisons and drugs.

Willow's words confirmed it. "I didn't get drunk Giles, I felt what the alcohol was doing and it wasn't that much. I just…" she trailed off as she sought the right words. "I got in the mood, I felt like having fun and I didn't really think what other people would think… Maria just caught my eye and…" A fiery blush colored her cheeks as she ducked her head.

'Could this be a side-effect of possessing Sif's hair?' the Watcher wondered. The accounts of that particular deity had been thin on the ground.

_"That would be something between Willow and her galdra-vél,"_ Gungnir answered.

'What do you mean by that? Do you know what is going on?'

_"Yes and no. I have suspicions but I cannot supply the answers Willow seeks, and neither should you. She must look within herself for them and the only one that can help with that is Sif's hair."_

Giles was not very happy with hearing that. But on further reflection, it did answer his question. "Willow, I believe this is a side-effect of wearing the Hair of Sif. And since that can't be undone, the only thing I can advice you is to start asking it some pointed question on all its abilities." Seeing Willow's crestfallen expression he continued, "of course, if you want to talk then… Perhaps someone else might be more suitable."

Willow nodded her head. "I thought of that but Buffy was still inside and…" Wide-eyed she slapped a hand in front of her mouth.

But it was too late. "Buffy was at the party?!"

***

"Don't interrupt me while I try to explain this," Buffy told Angel as he breezed past him into his apartment. He hadn't expected to have her visit again so soon. Especially given how their last conversation went. Bewildered, he stood there as Buffy went on. "Because if you start interrupting me, you'll say something that'll get me off point. And then we'll argue over something completely unrelated to what I came here to do. Which is…"

Not thinking it was a good idea to say anything right now, Angel settled for closing the door.

"Right," Buffy said, "my explanation for why I came here last time and ran without saying goodbye." And then she stopped again for a brief while. Angel had been wondering about that. He hadn't really noticed until she left but her smell had changed. It was subtle, but there.

Finally shrugging, Buffy held up her right hand. "I think it's best if I start by showing and then move on to telling." And with those words a hammer appeared in her hand. One moment there was nothing but air there, the next Buffy held a big war hammer made out of some dark metal in her hand.

"Giles, Xander, Willow and me went out to attack this nest of vampires two weeks ago. It was the night after Spike attacked the school. We got ambushed and to make a long story short, we fell down a hole and I ended up being chosen by Mjöllnir here to be its next user."

Angel had no idea what to say to that. The name sounded familiar but he didn't see how this explained the hot-then-cold attitude Buffy had displayed. "I got turned into an Aesir which, according to Giles, were these guys worshipped by the Vikings."

Of course, that's were he'd heard the name from. Mjöllnir had been the hammer of Thor, the God of Thunder. God of Thunder. "You're a god?" Angel asked incredulously. That was too weird even for this town.

"Not really," Buffy clarified. "I'm just different now. More than different. I got stronger and a lot more durable but that really isn't important. What is, is that I can see more now. And when I look at you, I see the demon inside of you. It's perfectly clear what it is, what it wants. It makes my skin crawl."

The words were like knifes stabbing him through the heart. He closed his eyes as he felt his hope she felt something for him turn to dust. But Buffy wasn't finished. "I've been ignoring that you were a vampire. I didn't really want to deal with that. It was easier to pretend you were just a guy without a pulse… " Her voice began to hitch. "And a problem with sunlight… But I can't ignore it anymore. Not with the evidence right in front of me every time I look at you."

"I get the picture," Angel managed to say. "You've woken up out of the fairy tale and you don't want me around anymore. I won't bother…"

Buffy cut him off. "Let me finish. I can see the demon in you, but I can see your soul too. You're still the same person, I just see more of you now. And it might not be easy dealing with all of you, but I think it might be worth it. So I want to try that. Getting to know you, I mean."

And just like that, Angel felt himself revive. Not literally, of course. "Are you sure?" He couldn't help but ask.

The Slayer laughed. "I'm not sure about a lot of things anymore. But I know I want to try. Beyond that, I don't know."

He nodded. He could be patient, it wasn't like he was going to get any older after all. "Well, we could start with…coffee?"

"Yeah," the blond nodded. "I could go for some coffee. That drugged drink left a bad aftertaste," she told him as she went to the door.

Angel had barely made a single step towards the door when Buffy's words registered. "Drugged?"

_TO BE CONTINUED_

_Author's Notes: And the new word for today is galdra-vél, old Icelandic for magical device. You won't see it being used too often since it's a technical term that most of the characters don't know of._

_As you can tell, I'm mixing the canon with my own stuff and there is a reason other than laziness for that. The Scoobies have undergone a change, the rest of the world hasn't yet. So it will take quite a bit of time before things start to go radically different. Of course, that doesn't mean that things won't go a little different right away as this chapter proved nicely._


	6. Me, my self and Siffy

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Me, my self and Siffy**

**Willow's room**

Willow had decided to do this in private since she was the only one that could hear Siffy anyway. The others couldn't do much except bear witness to her humiliation, which really wasn't much support. So here she was, facing Siffy who had remained silent since the party.

That was a good place to start the conversation. 'You haven't said a peep since the party, what's going on? The things I did tonight, the things I felt!' Her face reddened as the memories came back. But she kept looking at the brooch she'd placed on her desk for this talk. Willow wanted to face her for this.

_"My apologies, but I was trying to find exactly that answer and I am not as adept in delving into my bearer's mind as Gungnir. It took me this long to find some of the answers and still I do not have a full explanation."_

That did not sound encouraging. If even Siffy didn't know what was going on…_"That is not the case,"_ the brooch hastily assured her. _"I know what happened, it is the why that has left me puzzled. Let me explain."_

Frowning, Willow sat down on her bed. 'Okay, I'm listening.'

_"The process of becoming an Aesir, someone with full access to all the power and abilities their item can confer, takes time; years, actually. What you and your friends can do now, is merely the beginning. What happened at the party was that some of those abilities activated prematurely. You weren't ready for it, even I was caught by surprise."_

'What ability?' Willow wondered

_"In one word: empathy. I grant my wielder the capacity to understand their own minds and those of other people, to see what makes them tick, as they say these days. But the first step in that process is gaining a solid read on your own mind, your own feelings and desires. A person that can't differentiate their own from those of others gains no benefit from the skill."_

'So, I tapped into the emotions at the party? That's why I felt like having fun, like partying?'

_"Exactly," _Siffy confirmed. _"I do not know why that happened, however. Whether it has something to do with the fact that you are my youngest bearer, the place you grew up in, your potential, or some factor I am unaware of. But now that it has happened, we must start your training. I will teach you the meditation techniques right away and I recommend you put aside an hour a day at least for them. And together, we will learn more about Willow Rosenberg."_

Willow's head was spinning by now. Reading other people's emotions? That was… a lot to take in. And she wasn't so sure it was a great thing. After all, people could feel some very scary things. She froze as another thought hit her. 'Ehm, how did I make Maria dance with me? I knew she was going to say no and then suddenly, I was sure I could convince her to say yes.'

_"That would be the last step, I told you your abilities were going haywire. Once you understand what someone feels, what they want and motivates them, you can influence them."_

"Influence? Like mind control?!" Willow spoke aghast.

_"Nothing so direct,"_ Siffy assured her. _"As a safety precaution, none of my kind can touch any mind save those that wield us. The skill I speak of concerns itself with body-language and the knowledge of which words in what tone will tip the scales just the way you want them to. Nothing more."_

'Oh, that's better I guess. And at least now I know why I enjoyed dancing with Maria so much,' Willow mused more to herself. 'A lot of guys must have wanted to do that.'

_"Actually, that was all you,"_ Siffy informed her.

"What?!" The loud sound escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Her face on fire, she nervously watched the door as she listened for her parents. Had she just woken them up? But the house remained quiet.

_"Haven't you noticed where your eye has been wandering the last few days?" _Willow's stunned silence in voice and even thought answered her._ "I guess not. We really need to start meditating."_

**Sunnydale High**

"Have you seen Giles yet," Willow asked her best friend as they met up in front of the school. Her stomach was tying itself in knots, as the redhead worried about her friend's reaction when she heard Willow had ratted her out to Giles. She didn't mean to, of course. But she'd done it anyway.

And the results of Siffy's meditation exercises hadn't helped. Willow had tried them for the first time this morning and the glimpses she got from the depths of her own mind where… Eep! She wrenched her thoughts away from them before she popped a blood vessel.

"Yeah," was Buffy's one word reply. Willow looked over at Buffy, but didn't see the anger or irritation there she'd been worried about. "It's okay, Willow," the Slayer told her laying a hand on her arm for emphasis. "I was going to have to tell Giles anyway on account of the snake-demon they were keeping in the basement."

"There was a demon?"

"Oh yeah, real long too. It was this whole cult thing complete with human sacrifices in exchange for money and success. Giles thinks we're going to see some businesses go belly up soon. It's even on the news, because I had to call the cops."

"Oh," Willow felt very bad now. "And I had such a good time there. Now I feel really guilty, I didn't notice anything amiss!"

Willow had taken a few steppes before realizing Buffy had stopped. The blond came up to her just as Willow turned around. "You were at the party? The frat party?"

"I was keeping an eye on Xander," the redhead told her while studiously looking at the ground.

"Xander was there too!" There was a pause. "Okay, that actually makes more sense than just you going to a frat party. You went to keep an eye on him, didn't you?" Her voice filled with understanding.

Willow started to blush. 'I'm doing that a lot lately,' went through her mind. "That was the idea, but I kind of turned into the life of the party once we got there. I was drinking and dancing while poor Xander stood there looking… Well, like he was seeing an elephant doing ballet. Turns out the powers we get from our items grow and expand over time and one of mine came along kinda early."

"There's a having-fun power?" Buffy asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Nooo, I'm empathic, or going to be, anyway. At the party I just tapped into the whole party-vibe the crowd felt and then… I felt it too." 'And oh yeah, I also found out I might be interested in being more than just friends with girls. Maybe,' she added mentally. But the mere thought of actually admitting that to anyone was enough to make Willow feel like throwing up, after she drank a whole pot of coffee. So she steered the subject away from herself. "But did you have fun at the party? Before you slayed the snake-demon, I mean. You did slay the demon?"

"Yes, I slew the demon. And I had a little fun," Buffy admitted. "Of course, it got kind of ruined when I found out Tom was planning on feeding me to his demon-god. Felt better after I knocked his teeth out, though. And after that dating-fiasco I decided to try and work things out with Angel. We're going out for coffee tonight."

"Awww, that's so great!" And it was. Buffy deserved all the happiness she could get and if that meant dating a vampire with a soul, then that was what her friend should do; with her best friend backing her up all the way.

"The vampire-thing is going to be a real issue, but at least I know his deep, dark secret. That can't come out and surprise me," Buffy concluded.

**Two Weeks Later**

"The one night in all the year that the undead stay in and Snyder volunteers us again," Buffy complained as they sat in the school lounge. Willow and Xander couldn't help but agree, they'd been there when Giles told them it would be quiet on Halloween. They'd been planning on staying in and just hanging out. Now they would have to get costumes and everything.

Xander stood up and heads over to the vending machine. "Well, at least the kids are going to be safe. Even the groups we won't be escorting. That's something," he finished as he hit the button. But instead of getting his soda, nothing happens. Slightly annoyed, he taps the button again before slapping it on the front and side.

So occupied was he with getting his soda that he didn't notice Larry approach. "Harris!" the footballer greeted him slapping him on the back as he did so.

Putting on a smile, Xander returned the greeting. "Hey, Lar. You're looking Cro-Mag as usual. What can I do for you."

Larry looked over at Buffy and Willow, not realizing that they could both hear every word he was going to say. "You and Buffy, you're just friends right?"

"I like to think of it less as a friendship and more as a solid foundation of future bliss," Xander joked.

"So, she's not your girlfriend?"

"She's a girl and she's my friend, but no."

Turning to look at Buffy, he asked. "Do you think she'd go out with me?"

Xander made a show of pondering that question. "Well, Lar, that's a tough question to… No, not a chance."

Larry turned back to face Xander. "Why not? I heard some guys say she was fast."

"I hope you mean like the wind," he told the jock with the slightest hint of menace.

The hint went straight over Larry's head. "You know what I mean." Willow felt the indignity rise up hearing that and Buffy looked none too happy about it either.

"That's my friend that you're talking about!"

"Oh, yeah? Well what are you going to do about it?" Larry asked with a smirk that didn't leave his face when Xander grabbed him by the shirt.

Seeing Buffy get up, no doubt to interfere, Willow's hand shot out and grabbed her arm to restrain her. Getting a disbelieving look from Buffy, Willow explained, "Buffy, did you forget Xander can handle Larry now; without getting asked as many questions then if you where the one who did the handling."

"Oh," Buffy muttered as she reluctantly sat down. "But…" she started. "You're right, I guess I forgot for a second."

Meanwhile, Xander was telling Larry what he was going to do. "The same thing Buffy would do if you'd been stupid enough to say that to her face. Except with me, you get to keep your teeth," Xander explained to him.

Laughing, Larry knocked Xander's arms away. Or tried to anyway because Larry couldn't get those arms to budge an inch. Or stop Xander from pulling him up close before slamming him into the vending machine.

With a clunking sound, Xander's sought-after soda finally rolled into the slot. "Hello, sugary goodness," Xander greeted the beverage. He tossed Larry away, the jock stumbling back for several paces before he could stop. Opening the can and taking a swig, Xander looked at Larry. "Thanks," he told him cheerfully before making his way to the girls leaving a confused Larry standing in the hall.

"All hail the conquering hero," Buffy greeted him.

"I won this round," Xander told them as he sat down. "But the vending machine is wily and I'm sure it's already itching for a rematch. So, costumes… Is there any way I can convince you ladies that spandex is the way to go?"

**Ethan's Costume Shop**

Willow followed Buffy into the costume shop. A bell rang as they opened the door but the sound was nearly drowned out by the crowd of children being herded around by their mothers inside the shop. "What are you guys getting?" Buffy asked as they surveyed the chaos.

"Nothing from here," Xander told them earning surprised looks. "I'm going to go as the Silver Surfer." He held up his bracelet as he said, "already got the costume and I made a board out of some cardboard that I painted silver during Art class. Snyder might have volunteered us, but that doesn't mean I am going to volunteer my money. Just call me the Free Costume King, baby!"

Buffy turned to Willow now, who wasn't really sure how to answer. "My first idea was to get a time-honored classic. But I just don't feel like getting a ghost costume this year. Instead of hiding I want to, be something I'm normally not. I, I, I want to experiment with a new look," she confided to Buffy as her face heated up. She still hadn't told Buffy about everything that she'd been finding out about herself during her meditations.

The whole appreciating-girls thing wasn't the only revelation. Probably even more confusing were her thoughts on Xander. Her friend since kindergarten and the first boy she had a crush on, the only one in fact. But if she liked girls, and it was really starting to look like that, why did she have feelings for Xander? And did she still have them or was she just mooning over him out of habit?

Delving into her own mind gave her as many questions as answers, but she was certain it would be worth it. Eventually. Right now it left her more confused and… excited than confident and certain of what she was feeling. 'Maybe I should tell Buffy?' Willow wondered for the umpteenth time. And again she didn't think she was ready to take that step.

"Say no more," Buffy said ignorant of Willow's inner turmoil. "I've got just the thing. But you won't need anything from here for that costume so it looks like I'll be the only one that will have to fork over money in Snyder's cause."

"I could help with that," Willow offered. "There isn't any label on my costume-money saying "Just for Willow's costume"."

Buffy shot her an amused look. "Thanks, but let's see what they have first," she told Willow as she moved deeper into the store. "Right now, I don't even have an idea what I'll…" Noticing Buffy's attention was captivated by something, Willow looked over to see what it was.

It looked to be a frilly, red, billowy 18th-century gown. "Hello, what's this," Buffy mused.

"It looks amazing," Willow opined.

Xander wasn't impressed though. "Too bulky. I prefer my women in spandex."

Touching the gown, Buffy got a pensive look. "It's definitely unlike the usual me. And I would look good in it."

They were surprised by the arrival of an older man who looked to be the shop's owner. "Please, let me," he told Buffy in an English accent. He took the dress off of its dressmaker's mannequin and presented it to the Slayer. "Magnificent, isn't it?" He moved the dress in between her and the mirror to give the blond a better idea of how she would look in it. "There, meet the hidden princess. I think we found a match. Don't you?"

Buffy seemed to like what she saw. "It looks great. But I'm not sure I could afford this…"

"Oh, nonsense. I feel quite moved to make you a deal you can't refuse," he told her with a smile that made Willow think of a shark for some reason. She dismissed the impression right away. It was obvious that he was just pleased to make another sale. What else could it be?

***

Looking over her costume, Willow was starting to get second thoughts about this. Her costume consisted of a burgundy, long-sleeved, V-necked, midriff-baring top, a short, black leather skirt, and boots. She was still wearing Siffy but Buffy had suggested to do her hair up and Willow had done so. 'I look… Well, there's a lot to look,' she concluded. Willow wasn't sure she was… confident enough to pull the look off.

_"And it looks great,"_ Siffy assured her. _"I understand humility is considered a virtue these days, but do keep in mind you're not a mousy human anymore. You are a young Aesir and therefore subordinate to no one."_

'That sounds a little snooty.'

_"It's the truth, plain and simple. Now stop worrying about looking ridiculous in that outfit. You've got it in you, Maria can testify to that,"_ Siffy teased.

Willow blushed at the mentioning of Maria. She still hadn't called her, although Willow felt like she owed Maria at least that much. But calling Maria meant facing her own feelings on the matter and Willow just wasn't ready for that.

'One step at a time,' she resolved. 'And the next step is walking out that door wearing this.' Taking a deep breath, Willow opened the door and walked into Buffy's room.

"Wow!" Was Buffy's first reaction on seeing her. "You're a dish!" That comment sent her thoughts down paths better not thread given Buffy was her best friend. And straight. "I mean, really," Buffy continued completely ignorant of Willow's inner turmoil.

Feeling a little uncomfortable with the direction the conversation seems to be going Willow covered herself with her arms. "I'm still not totally…" The doorbell interrupted her.

"Oh! That's Xander. Are you ready?" Buffy asked her. After taking a deep breath, Willow nodded that she was. "Cool! I can't wait for the boys to go non-verbal when they see you!"

_"And a few of the girls too!" _Siffy added impishly. This time, Willow chose to ignore the comment and after tugging her skirt down she nodded at her reflection and followed Buffy out. As she walked down the stairs she heard Buffy talking about her costume.

"But wait till you see Willow, she looks… And there she is," Buffy finished drawing Xander's attention to the stairs.

His face was obscured by the armor but to Willow he certainly looked astonished. He sounded like it too. "Who are you and what have you done to Willow?" The comment got him a hard slap on the arm from Buffy, which he, of course, barely noticed through the mystical protection of his metal skin.

"It's just me," Willow told him as she finished walking down the stairs. "Just Willow."

"Nothing just about you, Wills," Xander told her seriously. "But who or what are you supposed to be?"

***

That question had become real important when she came face to face with Snyder. But Willow thought she'd managed to convince him she was supposed to be a country singer. It had been the first thing she'd come up with. Dealing with everybody else's reactions was easy in comparison. Some did look scandalized but those looks were rare and were more then outweighed by the admiring looks she was earning.

It gave her a secret thrill to see people look at her like she'd seen them look at Buffy or even Cordelia. Her, their eyes actually followed her, Willow Rosenberg. By now she felt, well, comfortable wearing these clothes. Not that she was even considering showing up at the Bronze in this. But maybe she should ask Buffy to help her with a new look. Something more mature.

Checking her watch, she noted it was almost time to get the children back. 'After this house,' she decided as the old lady dolled out the candy. But the lady stopped when the last two children came up holding their bag open. She looked in her candy bucket, and then back at the children. "Oh, dear. Am I all out? I could've sworn I had more candy," she told them.

A wind begins to blow, but it wasn't the chill of the air that made Willow shiver. Something rode that air-current, a pulse of energy the likes of which the redhead had never felt before. But while it passed her by, it wasn't so harmless for the children in front of her.

Before her eyes, she witnessed the energy coat some of the costumed children, specifically the two who hadn't gotten candy. One moment they were kids wearing monster costumes, the next they were child-monsters. One of the children, now a green demon, lunged for the old lady, wrapping his small fingers around her throat he began to choke her.

"Let her go!" Willow ordered. But the little monster paid no attention to her. Around her, the children who hadn't transformed started to flee, screaming as they vanished into all directions. The other child that had transformed, who had been wearing a red mask, now attacked his fellow transformed trick-or-treater forcing the green demon-child to let go of the old lady. She had the presence of mind to stumble into her home and close the door behind her leaving Willow alone with the little demons.

Looking around, Willow realized nobody was watching. She spared a moment to worry about the kids under her care; the ones that had still been themselves when they ran off into the night. Then she resolutely stopped thinking about that so she could focus on the problem before her. With a single thought, two of her braids shot out and wrapped themselves around the two fighting child-monsters.

She easily separated them by lifting them into the air. 'Problem solved,' she thought pleased. But that didn't last as she finally became aware of the sounds now filling the neighborhood. Looking around she realized the two she was holding were just a small part of the problem. 'And I can't drag them along if I want to do something about this. What do I do?'

**Ethan's Shop**

The room was lit by dozens of candles positioned against the walls and around the statue of the Roman god Janus. The statue only showed the head of the god, a female face with that of an old man on the other side. Kneeling before that statue, was Ethan Rayne as he worked the last part of the spell. "Janus, evoco vestram animam. Exaudi meam causam. Carpe noctem pro consilio vestro. Veni, appare et nobis monstra quod est infinita potestas. Persona se corpum et sanguium commutandum est. Vestra sancta praesentia concrescet viscera. Janus! Sume noctem!"

As he said those last words, a green light began to emanate from the statue. He could feel the spell going out, doing what it was supposed to do. A pleased smile appeared on his face, which turned to slack-jawed amazement as lighting bolts suddenly shot through the room. Ethan ducked down but the unexpected electric discharges had already stopped.

He was quite sure that wasn't supposed to happen. Yet his spell had worked, he knew it had. He had felt it go out. Felt it settle on the costumes he had sold to his gullible customers. The spell had worked, hadn't it?

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	7. Halloween

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Halloween**

**Halloween Night**

Xander watched helplessly as his group scattered when pandemonium broke out. Monsters just appeared out of nowhere when some of the children in the group had turned into their costumes. And had proceeded to attack their friends. He had waded in, pulled the fighting couples apart but that had just hastened the disintegration of the group he was supposed to keep safe.

Looking around at the rampaging monsters, Xander just couldn't decide what to do. It was simply too much for just one person to handle. He didn't know where to start. That was one of the reasons that seeing Willow coming towards him sent a flood of relief through him.

"Xander!" Willow called out to him.

"Willow! What's going on?" he asked when she got to him. "I thought Halloween was supposed to be all quiet on the supernatural front. This looks more like a full-blown invasion."

"I don't understand either. There was this… wind and then the children turned into their costumes." In the distance they could hear a six-shooter being fired. "Some of them," she qualified. "It was only a few in my group. How about you?"

"Same here," Xander confirmed. "But just a few was enough. This is chaos, Willow. I've got no idea where the kids from my group went to and there's too much going on for just the two of us to handle."

"You're right, we need to find…" A scream pierced the night. Looking at the source of the scream, they saw the Slayer running on the sidewalk across the street. "Buffy!" they called out together. But she showed no reaction to the name. They ran over to her and as they got closer Xander noticed something was off.

Concentrating a bit, he saw that the force that he'd seen covering the kids who had turned into their costumes was also clinging to the Slayer. Though it did seem to have a hard time of it, as soon as gaps were appearing in the energy-film, they were closed just as fast. But Xander's hope that Buffy was fighting whatever this was off were dashed by her reaction at their appearance.

Startled, she took a step away from them. "Buffy," Willow tried. "It's us, your friends."

"My name is Elizabeth," the now not-so blond haughtily told them. "And I would never be friends with someone that wore such low apparel. And what manner of thing is this?" she asked pointing at Xander.

"Oh darn," Willow said. "Now we have to protect her and find Giles. Siffy is sure this is some kind of spell but she isn't familiar with its type. We need Giles and his books to figure that out."

Now that there was a plan, Xander knew what he had to do. "You find Giles, and take Buffy with you. I'll stay and try to keep people from getting killed."

Buffy had heard everything and was apparently not pleased with the plan. "I already told you I am not this Buffy. And I will not be going anywhere. I'll just wait here for rescue, there are certain to be some gentlemen in these parts who will protect me."

Hearing that rendered both Scoobies speechless for a moment, and with a huff, Buffy turned around only to be confronted by one of the transformed kids coming towards her. She fainted without even trying to get away from the little demon.

"I'll take care of this," Xander told Willow as he pounded his palm with his other hand. "You take Buffy and go," having said that he walked forward to stand between Buffy and the child-monster. Not wanting to harm the kid still inside, Xander opted for intimidation. He stomped his foot, cracking the pavement, then crouched as he willed his armor to grow shield-flaps on both underarms.

The display wasn't without effect because the blue creature slowed down and then stopped. It eyed Xander for a moment before looking around. After that, it returned its gaze to Xander who didn't react at all. Without warning, the little demon sped away back the way it came.

Looking back, Xander saw Willow had already picked Buffy up with her hair. The Slayer was now resting in the redhead's arms, with several braids still helping to lighten the load. Wishing him good luck, Willow turned around and started jogging towards the high school.

***

"Put me down this instant," Buffy demanded far too loud so close to Willow's ear for her comfort. They were already in the high school but Willow didn't want to waste time putting the amnesiac Buffy down and then cajole her to the library.

Still, the redhead would be glad when she could put Buffy down. "I'll do so in a minute, now stop struggling or you'll drop," and not just because Buffy was being difficult. Holding her best friend's form against her made her aware of two things. One, she definitely had a certain interest in girls. Two, Buffy was a very good looking example of that group, especially when she was wriggling around and against Willow.

'Okay, mind off of Buffy and on to the latest Hellmouthy crisis. Which we are going to have to solve without Buffy,' she surmised with a grimace. Kicking the library-door open she went through it, depositing her burden as soon as she was in the library and even before calling for, "Giles!"

The Watcher had already turned his attention to them. "Willow, I've been hearing sirens and I sensed some kind of spell about half an hour ago. Is something going on?"

"Yes!" Willow told him as she marched deeper into the library dragging Buffy along by the arm. "People got turned into their costume. I passed cowboys fighting Indians and there's a horde of little demons running around. None of them remember who they are, they think it's real. Even Buffy here thinks she's a noblewoman."

Buffy mustered as much of her dignity as she could while being frog-marched by a girl. "I am of noble birth. I'm the first daughter of the Count of Buffonia. Now unhand me you trollop."

Giles blinked at that title. "Yes, well, I see what you mean Willow. And I can see the spell. But why weren't you affected, what did you dress as?" He asked as he looked her over.

Letting go of Buffy, Willow tugged her skirt down. "A, a, a more… someone that was more… sexy," she mumbled the last word.

Giles still heard it and was obviously flustered. "But you didn't change. Did Xander?"

Willow shook her head. She didn't pay attention to Buffy who was rubbing her arm and walking up the stairs looking around at the books. Something dawned on her. "And not all of the children I was escorting changed either. It was the same for Xander and I did notice some normal people in the chaos who were just wearing a costume without, you know, being their costume."

"But what's the connection," Giles wondered. "Why are some costumes affected while others are not. What's the commonality here… Where did you get your, ahem, costume?"

"Oh, it's from Buffy… they're some of her…" Seeing Giles' look Willow decided to move on. "Xander just used his armor and a prop he made to pass himself off as a superhero. Buffy got her costume at this new place, Ethan's."

A look of comprehension appeared on the librarian's face, swiftly followed by anger. But before Willow could ask if the name rang a bell, Angel appeared from the stacks, just behind Buffy. "Guys, it's mayhem out there. Do you know where…" Something must have caught his eye because he turned to where Buffy was. "Buffy!" He took a step towards her.

The Slayer had heard him speak too and had turned around just when Angel had noticed her. Catching sight of the vampire she yelled as he approached her. Her hand shot out, striking him in the chest with her palm she launched Angel into the air. He crashed into a book stack as everybody watched.

"It would seem the spell has not taken a complete hold of Buffy," Giles concluded while Buffy looked at her own hand as if it was an alien object from beyond the stars. "Willow, show me where that store is. And I think it would be best if Buffy came with us," he concluded as Angel struggled to stand. "I don't think it would be safe to leave her with Angel."

Willow nodded slowly. "Yes, it wouldn't be very safe for him."

***

He'd already relieved the siege on two houses, knocked out a mummy and broken the pistols of a couple of cowboys by the time a screaming Cordelia in a cat suit came by. A hulking thing covered in long fur was chasing her. "Somebody help me!"

Nodding to himself, Xander moved in. Angling his approach just right he stuck out a foot, tripping the unsuspecting Sasquatch up. The sound of the 300-pound creature hitting the pavement made Cordelia look back which was just in time to see her pursuer get up again. He had gotten one leg under him when Xander appeared next to him and slugged him across the face knocking him down again.

Again, the Sasquatch tried to get up but a punch to the back of the head put a stop to that and any future attempts to do so. Feeling quite pleased with his performance this evening, Xander took hold of one of his arms with the intent to drag the transformed person to the sidewalk where he wouldn't be accidentally run over.

"Ehm, thanks for saving me," Cordelia offered tentatively while eyeing him warily. "Whatever you are."

That made Xander pause and he looked strangely at the cheerleader. "It's me, Xander! Oh, wait. You've never seen me in my armor have you?"

"Xander?! But you're… you look… those are muscles."

"Yes, I use them for this thing called moving. It's a hobby of mine," he confided to her as he finished dragging Jo-Jo, the Dog Faced Boy to the sidewalk. "Oh, and you're welcome. Knowing you owe me your life is going to be sweet."

"As if," Cordelia told him as she closed the distance between them. "I owe you nothing. You were doing something like, community service. I just happened to be near when you performed the service."

"Well, if that's how you feel…" Xander started before his eyes caught the sight of something shambling towards them over Cordelia's shoulder. Not wanting to waste time arguing with Cordelia about getting out of the way he just bridged the final few feet between them and took a hold of her by the shoulders.

Cordelia looked startled at his hands and then back up. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked him in with a slightly unsteady voice. Still not saying anything, Xander lifted her up. That elicited a squeak, which was followed by a startled yelp when Cordelia caught sight of the thing now getting very close after being put down behind Xander.

He took a good look at his opponent now and Xander realized he was up against the classical Frankenstein monster. "Where's a crowd with burning torches and pitchforks when you need one," he bemoaned. His opponents answering grunt seemed almost pleased.

Not wasting any more time, Xander attacked punching Frankenstein in the chest. Another grunt escaped the monster's lips and he took a step back, but that was it. Moving faster than Xander thought he could, Frankenstein grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him up before throwing him to side straight at a parked car.

Xander felt the metal crumple under the impact and heard the glass break. Not really hurt, he was still momentarily stunned by the collision. When he came to his senses it was in time to see the patchwork creature tower above him, his hands clutched high above him. Which Frankenstein then brought down in a hammerblow driving Xander a little deeper into the car wreck.

This time he was ready for it, though, and he was ready to counterattack the moment Frankenstein reared back up. Bringing his legs up, he solidly planted his feet into the transformed partygoer's stomach sending him sprawling. When he finished to extricate himself from the car, he was just in time to see Frankenstein standing up again looking not terribly impressed but quite pissed. "Damn," Xander summed up.

**Ethan's Shop**

Willow followed Giles into the back of the shop while staying between Buffy and Angel. The former kept eyeing the latter warily and Angel wasn't looking happy either. Willow didn't honestly think Buffy was going to attack the vampire again, but she thought it would be best not to find out. So she was making sure Buffy didn't try to run, instead of having Angel try and stop her.

In the backroom, Willow came upon an altar with a bust on top of it. It showed a woman's face and looked Romanesque. When she moved to the side, she noticed the other side of the bust didn't show the back of the head, but another face. Its final and most attention grabbing feature were the bust's eyes that were emitting a green light.

_"Janus,"_ Siffy exclaimed in surprise.

"What does this mean?" Willow wondered.

"Primarily the division of self," Giles said. "Male and female, light and dark."

"Chunky and creamy," a voice spoke up from behind a curtain at the back of the room. A moment later, a man Willow recognized as the one who had sold Buffy her dress came out. "Oh, no, sorry, that's peanut butter. Hello, Ripper."

"Willow," Giles said without taking his eyes off of the shop owner. "Leave, and take Buffy with you."

The redhead looked at the Watcher in puzzlement. 'He knows I can take care of myself now, so why is he…' Her eyes narrowed as her mind supplied the likely answer, 'because he doesn't want me to witness the confrontation. This man obviously knows Giles and not in a flattering way. I mean, Ripper? And Buffy is here too, even if she doesn't know anybody right now.'

"What, you don't even give me the basic courtesy of saying hello back? You have gone native, Ripper," Ethan taunted as he finished wiping off his hands.

Willow had heard enough. "Okay, Giles. But, Buffy is going to have questions once this is over. I know I do," she finished. As she slowly backed away and then out of the shop, she heard Giles greet Ethan. He didn't use a nickname.

***

Looking him up and down, Ethan smirked. "What? No hug? Aren't you pleased to see your old mate, Rupert?"

"I'm just surprised I didn't guess it was you," Giles told him with a hard face. "This Halloween stunt stinks of Ethan Rayne."

That seemed to only please Ethan. "Yes, it does, doesn't it? Don't wish to blow my own trumpet, but it's genius. The very embodiment of 'Be careful what you wish for'."

"It's sick, brutal, and it harms the innocent."

"Oh, and we all know that you are the champion of innocents and all things pure and good, Rupert. It's quite a little act you've got going here, old man."

"It's no act. It's who I am."

"Who you are; the Watcher, sniveling, tweed-clad guardian of the Slayer and her kin? I think not. I know who you are, Rupert, and I know what you're capable of…" He trailed off, his eyes resting on Gungnir. "But perhaps things have changed. It's obvious the years have taken their toll on you, old boy."

"Far less than you're assuming, Ethan. Now break the spell. Then leave this place and never come back."

"Why should I? What's in the bargain for me"

"You get to live," Giles hissed.

"Oh, Rupert," Ethan mocked. "You're scaring me." His face held its serious look for a moment, then cracked under the shop owner's mirth. "Who am I kidding. I'm not going to make things that easy for you. I won't tell you how to break the spell, Ripper."

Now it was Giles his turn to smile. "I don't need you to tell me, I just wanted to give you a chance to correct your mistake." Without saying more, the Watcher raised his cane up over his head holding it by the rod then brought the handle smashing down on the bust. Just as Gungnir had informed him he should do the moment they'd realized it had been the focus for the spell.

As a bright, green light spilled out into the room blinding Giles, the last thing he saw was Ethan's astonished face before the world turned green. When other colors returned a few moments later, Ethan Rayne was gone. Thinking there was only one way he could have escaped, Giles sped past the curtain and deeper into the shop. The storage area was as good as empty and he found the backdoor to be firmly locked. "Damn," he cursed.

***

Xander was starting to feel weary, his breathing harsher than it had ever been since he became an Aesir. Before him, Frankenstein was shaking his head trying to clear it after loosing its latest round with Xander. They'd been pounding on each other for what seemed like hours now and neither party looked like he was about to give up.

Frankenstein could hit hard and was capable of surprising bursts of speed. His punches weren't powerful enough to do more than knock Xander around though, his armor protecting him from anything worse than some painful bruises. But the Aesir couldn't close the deal either, Frankenstein was unbelievably resilient and Xander was afraid of hitting him too hard because he didn't know what that would do to the person trapped inside the patchwork monster.

_"We should start working on your endurance. Just because you're not an ordinary person anymore is no excuse to take training lightly."_

'You're right,' Xander conceded without even putting up a fight. He was nowhere near exhausted yet but he was not happy with how winded he was.

"Kick his ass, Xander!" Cordelia shouted encouragingly from a safe distance.

"That's what I've been trying to do," he yelled back. "But there's an innocent in there. And I don't think he'd appreciate it if I put him in the hospital." Not wanting to wait for Frankenstein to make the first move, Xander advanced on him.

Dodging a lumbering swing of Frankenstein's right arm, Xander then proceeded to grab that limb and pulled the monster off-balance. While the undead thing fought to stay upright, the Aesir moved to his side and kicked him in the back of the knee bringing his opponent down.

He already had his fist pulled back, ready to deliver a powerful blow to the creature's head, when a pulse of energy washed over him and Frankenstein. The next instance, he was no longer facing Doctor Frankenstein's creation but a guy that was about as tall as Xander and looked really confused, which quickly turned to fear when he noticed the silver figure standing over him ready to punch his lights out.

"Ehm," Xander started before inspiration hit him. Turning cocked fist into a stretching exercise he yawned demonstratively. "Boy, it's getting late. And you really had too much to drink. So walk home, don't drive. It was fun!" He finished as he walked away from the still kneeling man.

"So that's it? The insanity is over?" Cordelia asked looking around.

"Yeah, I felt it happening. It wasn't just this guy that got better, the energy went all over town," he finished as he looked around. "But that will still leave the kids lost all over town. We better go find them and make sure they get home.

"Right." Cordelia gave their surroundings another nervous once-over. "Let's get started on that, you go first and I'll be right behind you."

Invisible to all, Xander rolled his eyes. "Fine. I wouldn't trust your sense of direction anyway," he informed her as they started walking. "We'd end up at the mall no matter what direction we'd go."

"As opposed to your unerring guidance through every demon and car between here and school," she fired back.

***

"He looked so disappointed when I told him I'd chosen that dress because I wanted to be all girly for an evening," Buffy told her over the phone. Willow could hear the mirth and imagined the Slayer was shaking her head a little as she said that. "I think he thought I was wearing it for him." Buffy ended with a sigh.

Halloween had ended a few hours ago and while Willow had gone straight home, Buffy had stayed with Angel for a while. A conversation that had prompted the blond to call Willow once she too had gotten home. "And maybe I did, a little. But I just didn't feel like telling him that after he told me he forgave me for attacking him in the library. I wasn't myself then, what's there to forgive!"

"Maybe he was worried you'd think that he thought it was," Willow supplied. "Your fault, that is."

Buffy didn't sound convinced. "Maybe, but he should know I'm not that stupid. Oh, I don't know. I guess I'm just… worried. I'm still having trouble with my senses. I want to kiss him, I want him to kiss me, and when we kiss it takes my breath away." The blond waited until Willow was finished saying "Aaawww" over that before continuing on. "But my stomach also gets queasy. Cordelia wouldn't have that problem."

"But Cordelia doesn't even know he's a vampire!" Willow argued. "I was there when you told her, she didn't buy it. When she realizes what he is, she'll run to the nearest church."

Buffy chuckled briefly. "Yeah, or shrug and go right on trying to steal him away from me. She's always said she wanted an older guy and having one that's going to look just as good in fifty years has got to be attractive to her." Another sigh. "But that's not the real problem… The real problem is me; my new senses, these damn instincts that I've got now. I really like his company but getting the shudders every time I touch him is really killing the romance." The Slayer's voice became teary. "Oh Willow, what do I do?"

Willow didn't know what to say. After all, it wasn't like she had much experience in the area of dating. And right now, she was even unsure about whom to date. Or if she wanted to date girls or boys or both! Which she still hadn't told Buffy about; however, now was not the time for that. Which left her with the problem of what she could say. The silence stretched on.

Awkwardly, she tried to change subjects. "Uhm, uh, could you believe Giles was in a rock band when he was young?"

Buffy didn't respond right away and when she did, the wry amusement in her voice was quite brittle. "I'm still trying, but I just can't imagine Giles wearing anything but a suit."

"I'm having a hard time too. Still, what are the odds somebody he knew from the band turning up in Sunnydale all knowledgeable in the dark arts."

"I don't know, but since this is Sunnydale, I think they're pretty good actually."

"Hmm," Willow hummed non-committedly. There was still something more to it, she suspected. She just couldn't point to anything as evidence for that feeling so she kept still. Buffy was right, after all. On a Hellmouth, everything was possible.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	8. Uncomfortable Outcomes

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Uncomfortable Outcomes**

**City Hall**

'Gosh darnit,' Mayor Wilkins thought for the second time as he looked at the report, Allan had left behind. The first time he'd actually said it out loud too, but he'd gotten himself under control. The written reports actually contained more information but it was the photographs that had gotten his attention.

The one of the Slayer holding a large war hammer in particular was disturbing. 'Three Aesir running around in my town is bad enough, but she's actually carrying Mjöllnir.' Richard hadn't thought much of it when Ms. Summers had first moved into town. Slayers came and went, they didn't last long and he hadn't expected this one to be any different. Then she'd actually taken out that lunatic Nest.

The Master, the vampire that had given him quite a few problems over the years with his obsession over opening his Hellmouth, killed by the Slayer. It had left Wilkins to reassess her value, and the level of threat she formed to him. However, she was helping to distract and neutralize the more… rambunctious members of Sunnydale and that was fine with the Mayor.

But it had started to look like she was going to be around for his big day; and probably try to muck up his final preparation for what he'd been working towards for almost a century if the Slayer caught wind of it. So he'd begun to formulate some plans to deal with her, and then this had to happen and now all those plans were useless.

A Slayer of Ms. Summer's proven skill was just a nuisance. Three Aesir, even young ones, were a genuine threat. A threat that had to be dealt with as soon as possible. Without, of course, anything that could lead back to him if things didn't pan out.

Dialing a number, he realized that this solution would not come around by what most people thought of as soon. It would take months for the reaction of the "people" who were always on the lookout for anything of Thor's legacy to materialize. 'Better tell Allan to pull back the surveillance right away, no need to test our luck.'

"Good evening, Val," Wilkins started jovially. "I'm calling about those rumors I told you about. I did some further digging and it turns out there is something to them. Right now I am looking at a photo of this young lady who is carrying a very big hammer, I think you know what hammer I am talking about."

**The Factory**

Spike wasn't enjoying his stay on the Hellmouth and he'd have left town already if it wasn't for Dru. Getting clobbered by the Slayer's mother of all people in his first week here should have told him something. And things had only gotten more annoying from there.

The minions he'd sent out to tape the Slayer had all vanished, taking their expensive video cameras with them. Not that they'd actually paid for them, but it had taken a solid half-hour to steal the damn things. That the Slayer had probably caught those minions was worrisome. In fact, the vampire population in general was taking a nosedive and it seemed impossible that the Slayer was responsible for all of those kills. But who else could it be?

The rumor-mill was busy trying to explain just that but as usual it wasn't producing much in the form of actual information. There was even a rumor of some silver-skinned demon going around eating vampires. Who had ever heard of something as preposterous as that?

And today had been just another day of irritation. Carli still wasn't back with the book he'd told her to get from that Watcher and to top it all off, a human had just waltzed into his lair. The ponce had known what he was walking into and if even one thing had been going his way, Spike would have let the idiot live long enough to find out why he actually sought out a nest of vampires.

As it was, Spike just really needed to vent and killing the boy had done just the trick. "Spike," Drusilla moaned looking around. "Wait, hear him out." Blinking, Spike glanced down at the corpse lying on the floor, then back at Drusilla and grimaced.

The Hellmouth was supposed to help her, but she'd gotten actually more incoherent since they'd gotten here. She needed that cure and she needed it fast. "I don't think he has much to say, darling," he ventured carefully.

Drusilla had caught sight of the corpse now too. "He does." Then she shrugged. "Wouldn't have worked, Miss Edith says. He plays chess while the Slayer played checkers." And with those words Drusilla danced off listening to music nobody else could hear.

"Dalton," Spike yelled. Not giving the stammering vampire a chance to say anything, he grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close. "Forget the book from the Watcher. Find one from somewhere else; buy the damn thing if you have to. But get me that cure, now!"

Letting go of bespectacled demon, Spike looked around. "As for the rest of you, get rid of the body. And don't just dump it outside. I don't want a visit from the Slayer." Seeing the idiots look at each other instead of doing what he told them, he exploded. "Move!" That spurred them into action.

'Bunch of tossers,' he grumbled as he pulled out a cigarette.

**Sunnydale High**

Looking back at his Watcher Diary, Giles wondered once more what he should do. He still hadn't so much as mentioned Gungnir and the rest to the Council yet. At first, it was because he didn't know what to say. At least, that's the reason he'd come up with for his immediate decision. But as he collected more information, corroborated at least partially by other sources, he started to fear what the Council would do if it learned the Slayer and her Watcher were compromised.

And that was probably how they would see it. Mystical artifacts that bonded with their user were regarded with suspicion and precedent gave them good reason. At a minimum they would demand that Gungnir and Mjöllnir be sent to England for study. Xander and Willow's items probably too. And he honestly felt that was not for the best.

The fact that they couldn't truly be separated from the weapons was only a small part of that. No, the greatest reason Giles didn't want to lose Gungnir was the sense that he had been entrusted with this power and that meant he was responsible for it.

Also, Gungnir had grown on him despite its newfound hobby of sifting the net. That thought prompted Giles to look over at the cane standing on the seat of a chair. It swayed in front of the screen as a new address slowly appeared on it.

_"Surfing the web,"_ Gungnir corrected. _"Honestly Rupert, your hostility towards this new medium is irrational and it's reasoning is inapplicable in my case anyway. I don't have a sense of smell and manipulating this device's electric circuitry is a lot harder than turning a page is for you."_

Giles let the comment slide. He was still too grateful for the opportunity to permanently take out Eyghon. He'd just been in time to save Philip, but far too late for Deirdre. Buffy and Xander had been there and Giles knew that some of what they'd overheard between him and Philip must have raised some questions. Combined with Willow witnessing the start of his conversation with Ethan and he knew his charges were having questions about his past. Even after he'd told them that partial truth about his misspent youth.

'Secrets, secrets, I'm keeping too damn many secrets,' Giles mused. 'Like my not-so fondness for monster trucks,' he thought with a sour smile. He was thankful that Jenny hadn't started to treat him any different after she'd learned he had become something not, ah, quite human. But he could have done without the nitro burning funny cars.

Bringing his attention back to his diary, he thought he finally knew how to put the Fordham-incident into writing without lying or disclosing the full truth. Because writing that his Slayer had first thought something amiss because the boy had lied about being sick. That would naturally lead to how she could tell such a thing.

Sighing, he shook his head at Buffy's misfortune. To lose a childhood-friend when you we're still a child was bad enough. Finding out that he was part of a group that wanted to become vampires and as a part of that had approached you made it only worse. They would never know if Billy only needed Buffy to find the right vampire or had been planning something more nefarious.

Giles knew the question plagued his Slayer and knowing Billy Fordham hadn't gotten what he wanted was no consolation.

_"Once you are finished with that, I suggest we resume the training. In your last attempt you managed to bridge five feet."_

'Hmm, yes, a good suggestion.' He mentally winced as he recalled that attempt. 'Although it might be better if we don't train so close to the books next time. The carpet is far easier replaced then my books.'

**Shady Hill Cemetery**

"I'm on a beach, but not one of those American beaches" Buffy amended as she and Willow strolled through the night. "One of those island beaches where the water's way too blue, and I'm laying on my towel, and it's just before sunset, and Gavin Rossdale's massaging my feet!"

Buffy smiled as Willow giggled appreciatively. Tonight it was just the two of them patrolling. Xander had complained about Fel being on his case about his grades and that he had to go home to study. The Slayer shook her head. Apparently, the bracelet's concern for appearances included how smart his wearer seemed and it wasn't happy with Xander's current status as a lackluster student.

There weren't a lot of vampires out tonight so they were passing the time with a game of 'Anywhere But Here'. Now it was Willow's turn. "Uh, I'm in Florence, Italy, I've rented a scooter that's parked outside, and I'm in a little restaurant eating ziti, and there are no more tables left, so they have to seat this… Ehm…" For some reason Willow's face was getting really red and she kept sneaking glances at Buffy.

"Willow, are you okay?" The blond asked.

"Oh yes, fine, absolutely hunky dory!" The redhead babbled. "Why wouldn't I be?" And then she closed her eyes and the next words came out as a rush. "They seat this woman with me, and it's Fabiana Udenio."

Buffy blinked, and then blinked again as she tried to puzzle out what exactly Willow had said. When she thought she'd managed that, the Slayer was confronted by another puzzle. "Why…?"

She broke off because Willow, who hadn't opened her eyes yet, tripped over an exposed tree root. Buffy's hand snaked out and caught her before she could fall. "Ho there, Willow, what's going on?" She asked slowly.

"I…eh…I…" Buffy could see her gulp. "You remember that frat party that Xander and I went to? What I did?"

"Yes," the Slayer answered while searching her friend's face. It wasn't easy since it was turned down and slightly to the side. "It's when you found out about that emotion-reader ability you got. You picked up on the party-vibe and started acting very unwillow-like. What's that got to do with your "Anybody But Here" pick?"

"Well, I… I sort of left out with whom I was dancing. It was a…a…a…a…" Willow started to breathe fast, "agirl," it rushed out.

Buffy shrugged. "So what, there were a lot of guys and they probably…" She trailed off as it dawned on the Slayer that it was possible they were having this conversation because that wasn't the explanation. "Ehm, the girl wanted to dance with you and you picked that up?"

Willow shook her head vigorously and raised her eyes to meet Buffy's. "I danced with Maria because I wanted to… I like girls, Buffy," she whispered so low that even Buffy had a hard time hearing the words. But heard them she did.

"That's-That… Ah, I… Oh," Buffy finished lamely.

_"Ask her if they kissed. And more importantly, did they take pictures?"_ Mjöllnir broke in.

Buffy glared down at the amulet. "Do you mind?! We're having an important talk here!" Her loud voice startled Willow. The blond noticed and immediately she took a step forward and held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry, Mjöllnir just butted in with his usual insensitive pervert-talk. I'm not… I'm not sure…This is a surprise," she finished lamely.

"How did you think I feel," Willow crowed practically hysterical. "The only person I've ever had a crush on is Xander and now…this!"

"Right, huh, how sure are you? Because, there's Xander…" Buffy ventured.

"I-I've been doing a lot of meditating, finding out more about myself," Willow explained. Buffy nodded, she recalled the redhead explaining that part. Apparently, if you wanted to read other people's emotions you first had to know your own or you couldn't distinguish the two with any certainty. It made sense to Buffy. "I'm…" Willow hugged herself. "I'm sure."

"Oh." Buffy fell silent, not knowing what to say, how to act. "Ehm, so, should I be asking if any," for some reason the blond felt her own face heat up, "cute girls have caught your eye."

"No! I mean, I haven't seen anyone," Willow hastened to add.

"Good." Buffy didn't need to see Willow hunch her shoulders to realize that was not the right thing to say. "I mean, too bad. They really should add a chapter on coming-out to the best friend's manual," she joked. "Because I'm just winging it right now and I'm sucking… Suck at reacting to this, not sucking you. Not that sucking you is bad," Buffy babbled on. Closing her lips firmly the Slayer tried to regain control of her tongue. "Okay, shutting up now."

But it wasn't in time to prevent both their faces from resembling tomatoes now. She wasn't handling this right, but how did you do that? This was just such a shock. She looked around hopefully. 'Come on, vampires. Do your thing and attack when we least expect it.' Nothing happened. 'Stupid demons. They never attack when you need them to!'

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	9. What's My Line?

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**What's my Line?**

**Sunnydale High**

"Are you a people person, or do you prefer keeping your own company?" Xander read out loud from the career aptitude test. "Well, what if I'm a people person who keeps his own company by default?" He asked Buffy.

"So, mark 'none of the above'," the Slayer suggested. "Hey, Willow," she greeted her friend who just then joined them at their table.

Xander echoed the greeting before continuing. "Well, there are no boxes for 'none of the above'. That would introduce too many variables into their mushroom head, number-crunching little world."

"I'm sensing bitterness," Willow told them. Seeing Buffy's raised eyebrow she hastily added, "Not really, of course. Not that far with the empath-thingy."

"Well, I'm not bitter," Xander told them. "It's just these people can't tell from one multiple-choice test what we're gonna be doing for the rest of our lives. It's ridiculous! I mean, where's the option to be the head of your own religion?"

"I'm kinda curious to find out what sort of career I could have," Willow mused.

"What, and suck all the spontaneity out of being young and stupid?" the boy joked. "I'd rather live in the dark."

Now the redhead frowned. "You're going to be young for a long time, but you'll graduate in a few years."

"But I'll always be stupid," he quipped only to be met by silent agreement. "Okay, let's not all rush to disagree."

"You're not stupid," Buffy assured him seriously. Xander grinned at the assurance, then looked up when he noticed Cordelia approaching. She was accompanied by two of her Cordettes and was obviously filling out the test too.

"I aspire to help my fellow man," the cheerleader read out loud enough for the Slayer and her friends to hear. "Check." And she marked it down. "As long as he's not smelly, dirty or something gross," Cordelia amended.

"Cordelia Chase, always ready to give a helping hand to the rich and the pretty," Xander remarked when she was close enough to hear.

"Which, lucky me, excludes you. Twice."

"Of course it does, I'm handsome! That's a completely different thing, thank you for noticing!"

"Please," Cordelia shot back while rolling her eyes. "I think you're confusing handsome with an upgrade from loser to dork."

Apparently Xander had no comeback ready for that one, so Cordelia just walked away followed closely by her cronies. "Is murder always a crime?" He asked wistfully when the cheerleader was safely out of earshot.

"Do I like shrubs?" Was Buffy's complete non-sequiter.

"That's between you and your godhood. Consult the sacred texts and see if there's anything about holy greenery in there. Speaking of, is mistletoe a shrub?"

"What'd you put?" Buffy asked Willow.

"I came down on the side of shrubs," Willow told her, then she turned to Xander. "It's a parasite that lives of off trees and shrubs."

"Go with shrubs! Okay!" the blonde said as she filled in that question. "Uhhh! I shouldn't even be bothering with this. It's all mootville for me. No matter what my aptitude test says, we already know my deal."

"Yup," Xander chimed in. "High risk, sub-minimum wage..."

"Pointy wooden things, with the occasional crushing and cutting things with my hammer for variety."

_"Which doesn't happen nearly enough,"_ Mjöllnir cut in.

"Then why are you even taking the test?" Willow wondered.

"It's Principal Snyder's hoop of the week. He's not happy unless I'm jumping. Believe me, I would not be here otherwise."

"You're not even a teensy weensy bit curious about what kind of career you could've had? I mean, if you weren't already the Slayer and all."

"Do the words 'sealed in fate' ring any bells for you, Will? Why go there?" Buffy saw that her friend was hurt by the comment and felt sorry for that. But even getting Mjöllnir hadn't changed the fact that she had to go out night after night to battle the demonic hordes. One of those nights, she wouldn't come back.

"Y'know, with that kind of attitude you could've had a bright future as an employee at the DMV." Xander shook his pencil at her. "And you're not fighting them alone. You got us now. And Giles," he added.

"I'm sorry, it's just... unless Hell freezes over and every vamp in Sunnydale puts in for early retirement, I'd say my future is pretty much a non-issue," she told them without going into her own certainty that her future wouldn't be that long anyway. "You made a choice, I got chosen. I'm stuck with this destiny."

**The Factory**

Spike watched as Drusilla waved her hand over an intricately carved gold cross on a red velvet pillow. He was actually starting to feel giddy; they were finally getting somewhere. "This is it then?"

His love was starting to sway from side to side. "It hums. I can hear it."

That was good enough for Spike. "And we didn't even have to pay for this piece of the puzzle," he shot a look at Dalton as he said that. Spike turned his attention back to Drusilla. "Once you're well again, we'll have a coronation down Main Street, and invite everyone, and drink for seven days and seven nights."

"What about the Slayer?" Dalton complained from behind them. "She almost blew the whole thing for us. She's trouble."

"You don't say?" Spike told him sarcastically. "Trouble?!" The bleached vampire started to pace. "She's the gnat in my ear! The gristle in my teeth! She's the bloody thorn in my bloody side!" He punctuated that last bit with a kick to the table. It was because of her they had to buy Du Lac's book. They were very lucky there had been any for sale on the West Coast.

Drusilla's concerned voice calling his name calmed him down. Enough at least for him to start formulating a plan. "We gotta do something. We'll never complete your cure with that bitch breathing down our necks." And he knew just who to get to do the job. "I need to bring in the big guns. They'll take care of her."

"Big guns?" The bespectacled vampire asked him.

"The Order of Taraka."

"The assassins!" Dalton exclaimed.

"No, the little league team of Des Moines," Spike told him sarcastically. "Of course I mean the assassins! But because someone couldn't get that book for free," he carefully looked at Dalton, "we'll not be able to afford the full contract."

As he ranted, Drusilla was busy dealing three tarot cards. One depicted a Cyclops, another a centipede and the third was a panther. "They're coming to my party. Three of them," she told Spike in a dreamy voice.

Spike moved over to Drusilla and took her into his arms. "Yeah, I think three is just about what we can pay for. Worse the luck."

"Uh, yes, but... The Order of Taraka, I mean... Even just three of them, isn't that overkill?" Dalton wondered.

"I don't really expect them to kill the bitch," Spike told him bitterly. He was starting to suspect the Slayer had gotten even stronger since their fight. "I only need them to distract her long enough to get Dru cured. And then we are out of this town," he promised the woman in his arms. "This town is going to hell in a hand-basket and it's not our kind of hell."

**1630 Revello Drive**

Angel looked over Buffy's bookshelf as he waited for her to get home. He felt out of place, and it wasn't just the decor that was putting him off. His relationship with Buffy was stuck in some kind of seesaw pattern ever since she'd gotten that hammer. And being here, where he could smell both her old and her new scent, only reminded him of that.

For a moment, he was tempted to find Buffy's diary and see if there were some answers in there. The insight he needed to figure out this new Buffy. Then he reigned that impulse in. Instead, he picked up a stuffed pig. It was old and worn. The sound of something heavy hitting the floor behind him made Angel turn around still clutching the pig. "Buffy! You scared me."

"Now you know what it feels like, Stealth Guy," she retorted as she climbed in through the window. She crouched down by her bag, which had made the thumping sound, and reached into her hair to pull out a few clips. "Just dropping by for some quality time with Mr. Gordo?"

'Mister Who?' Angel thought. "Excuse me?"

Buffy pointed at his hands and the stuffed animal Angel now realized he was still holding. "The pig."

"Oh. I, uh..." Angel didn't really know how to respond. He felt pretty silly like this, holding the pig up almost like he was hiding behind it.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," he assured her. Tossing the pig onto a chair, he walked to the foot of her bed.

Meanwhile, Buffy dropped her hair clips into a desk drawer and faced him. "Only you don't have a nothing-face. You have a something-face. And you don't have to whisper. Mom's in L.A. till Thursday. Art buying, or something."

"Then why'd you come in through the window?" Angel wondered. He was also slightly miffed that he hadn't noticed that himself.

"Habit," was Buffy's answer.

"I wanted to make sure you're okay. I had a bad feeling." Not the real reason he was here, but just inviting her to a date wouldn't be as romantic as working his way towards it. Make it seem a spur of the moment.

"There's a surprise. Angel comes with bad news." Buffy's sarcasm was biting.

'There's the new Buffy again,' Angel thought as he turned away. 'The one that can't stand being near me.'

"Sorry," Buffy told him in a pained voice. "I've been Cranky Miss all day. It's not you."

Angel wasn't so convinced. "Well, what is it then?" When Buffy tried to wave the whole deal away, Angel let her know with a look he wasn't buying it.

"Uh, we're having this thing at school."

Angel's expression cleared. He knew what she was talking about. "Career week," he supplied.

"How did you know? Buffy wondered.

"I lurk" Was his curt response. He wasn't going to tell her he'd been hanging around her school. It sounded vaguely stalkerish. Which it wasn't, of course. He just wanted to make sure she was safe.

"Right. Well, then you know it's a whole week of 'what's my line', only... I don't get to play." Buffy sat down on her bed. "Sometimes I just want..."

"You want what?" he prompted her as he sat next to her. And felt a mental pang when he noticed her body tense for a moment when his nearness registered. Seeing Buffy look into her long mirror where only her reflection was visible didn't help. But he knew what he should say now. "It's okay."

"The Cliff Notes version?" Buffy asked as she looked deep into his eyes. "I want a normal life. Like I had before."

"Before Mjöllnir?" was his first guess.

But Buffy's immediate headshake showed him that was a wrong guess. "What? No, that's not so bad really… It's just… I remember being a regular girl worrying about regular things with a regular future. A long future."

'Before me,' he thought but didn't say. The ridiculous glimmer of jealously he felt for that mystical artifact was quickly suppressed. Just because Buffy recognized that the hammer gave her an edge didn't mean she wanted to keep it more than the rest of her life, more than him. But the blond wasn't finished. "I wish we could be regular kids."

"Yeah. I'll never be a kid," he told her as he got back up.

"Okay, then a regular kid and her cradle robbing, creature-of-the-night boyfriend."

Angel couldn't help but laugh at that. Now was the right time; he picked up the picture he'd already spotted on one of his previous visits. It showed a young Buffy ice-skating. 'She's so young in this.' And then it hit him that it was only taken maybe a decade ago, probably less. The gulf in life-experiences…

Angel shook it off and segued into the reason he'd waited for her in her room in the first place. "Was this part of your normal life?"

"Oh, my God," Buffy exclaimed as she stood up to join him. "My Dorothy Hamill phase. My room in L.A. was pretty much a shrine. Dorothy dolls, Dorothy posters, I even got the Dorothy haircut. Thereby securing a place for myself in the geek hall of fame."

"Hmm, you wanted to be like her?"

"I wanted to be her," she emphasized. "My parents were fighting all the time, and skating was an escape. I felt safe."

'Perfect,' Angel thought. "When was the last time you put on your skates?"

"About a couple of hundred demons ago," was the Slayer's wistful response.

"There's a rink out past Route 17, it's... closed on Tuesdays," Angel ventured.

Buffy looked up at him with suspicion, but of a good kind. "Tomorrow's Tuesday."

"I know." He didn't say more. 'Maybe this will get us out of this limbo we've fallen into.'

**Sunnydale High**

Coming up from behind, Xander asked his female friends a burning question. "Wouldn't you two say you know me about as well as anyone else? Maybe even better than I know myself?" Okay, so he was working up to that question.

"What's this about?" Willow wondered.

"When you look at me, do you think "prison guard"?" The simultaneous giggle coming from both Buffy and Willow was not reassuring.

Buffy recovered first. "Um, crossing guard, maybe, but prison guard?" She shook her head in the negative.

That's what he thought too. Well, except for the crossing guard thing. "They just put up the assignments for the career fair, and according to my test results I can look forward to being gainfully employed in the growing field of corrections. Or cosmetology, but I blame that completely on Fel"

"Of course you do," Buffy giggled again. "Well, at least you'll be on the right side of the bars."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Laugh now, missy, they assigned you to the booth for law enforcement professionals." Seeing the Slayer's face at that news more than weighed up against her previous amusement at his expense.

"As in police?" Buffy asked.

"As in polyester, doughnuts and brutality," he rubbed in.

Hearing Buffy whine, Willow tried to cheer her up. "But, doughnuts!"

It only elicited a louder whine from the Slayer. "Well, I'll just jump off that bridge when I come to it. Hey, Xander, did you see which seminar Willow was assigned to?"

Xander frowned at the question. He had looked, but hadn't found his best friend's name anywhere. He told them so.

"What?!" Willow practically shrieked. "But I handed in my test! I even used a number two pencil!"

"Then you must have passed," Xander tried.

"It's not the kind of test you pass or fail," Willow told him.

Seeing Willow growing steadily more worked up about the lack of test-results, Buffy jumped in. "Willow, breath. I'm sure you did really well and you're just in some exclusive seminar for the really smart people. Xander must have just missed that one."

Xander wasn't exactly happy with this put down of his list-reading skills but he noticed that it did calm Willow down so he said nothing.

"That's probably it," Willow agreed. "I'll take a look around later and see if I can't find out more."

"Okay then. Now, I've got to go report to Giles. I had some action last night, including a grave-robbing vampire and he'll probably want to know about that. I'll see you later." And with those words she was off. But just before she got out of Xander's hearing-range, he could hear her mutter to herself, "Police?"

***

"Hey Giles, whatcha doing?" Buffy asked her Watcher when he noticed him at the counter with several piles of books.

"Ah, hello Buffy. I've been, uh, indexing the Watcher diaries covering the last couple of centuries. You would be amazed at how numbingly pompous and long-winded some of these Watchers were."

"Color me stunned," Buffy replied not even trying to hide the irony in her voice.

Giles noticed, but didn't comment. "So, I trust last night's patrol was fruitful?"

"Semi. Mm, I caught one out of three vamps after they stole something from this jumbo mausoleum. The last one ran away as soon as he saw me and left his buddies to fight me. Not really fair."

Giles was more interested in their activities before Buffy encountered them. "They were stealing?"

"Yeah! They had tools, flashlights, whole nine yards. What does that mean anyway? 'Whole nine yards'? Nine yards of what? Now it's gonna bug me all day," she muttered.

The librarian, in the mean time, had begun rubbing his chin in thought. "Um, this vampire who escaped, did you see what he took?"

"No, but I could take a guess and say it was something old."

"You made no effort to find out what was taken?"

"Have a cow, Giles! I actually tried to find the one that got away but he must've been a racehorse in a previous life because I couldn't find a trace of him."

"Well, it will be somewhat difficult to ascertain what was taken with "something old" as our only clue," he told her slightly irritated.

"Y'know," Buffy started not feeling very generous right now. "If you don't like the way I'm doing my job, why don't you find somebody else? Oh, that's right, there can only be one. As long as I'm alive, there is no one else. Well, there you go! I don't have to be the Slayer. I could be dead!"

That rant brought Giles up short. "That wasn't terribly funny," he started.

But Buffy was still going. "Wouldn't be much of a change. Either way I'm bored, constricted, I never get to shop, and my hair and fingernails still continue to grow. So really, when you think about it, what's the diff?"

"I disagree, but I don't think we have the time to go into that thoroughly at this moment." And he wished it wasn't so. The sentiment Buffy had just expressed had been chilling to the Watcher. Unfortunately, crises on the Hellmouth waited for no one. "Vampires do not normally steal from mausoleum's and Spike has been keeping quiet uncharacteristically long. If it were his men who you caught last night, then that quiet won't last much longer. Best if we find out what he is up to before it's too late to put a stop to it."

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	10. A Dreary Day in Sunnydale

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**A Dreary Day in Sunnydale**

**Sunnydale High**

Willow watched Xander's retreating back with a soft smile and a shake of her head. That little confrontation with Snyder had been just like him, joking without backing down. She loved him for that, as a friend. She just wished he wouldn't provoke the man so much. Especially when Snyder was more likely to retaliate through Buffy instead of going directly at him.

The Principal saw the Slayer as not only a troublemaker, but a ringleader too. 'But why is he so fixated on her?' Willow suddenly wondered. 'Sure, burning down the gym can't look good on the permanent record but Snyder can't possibly think me or Xander are actual gang-members.' She couldn't put it into words exactly, but something was bugging her.

Before the redhead could ponder any further, two men in dark suits approached her. " Willow Rosenberg?" suit number one asked. "Come with us, please?"

Looking them over, she wondered what was going on. "Excuse me?"

"Let's walk," the other said. The two men proceeded to take her by the arms and guide her away, but were stopped short when they couldn't move Willow. Both wore looks of mild surprise now and they looked at each other in silent communication. "Miss Rosenberg, we'd like to talk about your future. We have an area set aside where we can do so, comfortably. If you would follow us?"

Willow eyed them, then decided it couldn't do her harm to find out what this was about. Giving them a nod she followed them to a curtained-off area of the lounge. Stepping through the curtain she was confronted by an actual waiter in a white jacket and black bow tie holding a hors-d'oeuvre tray up for her. "Try the canapé. It's excellent," suit number one enthused. There was music playing in the background and the lounge itself looked a lot more fancy then usual.

Even more puzzled by the situation, Willow shook her head to the waiter. She wasn't hungry and more interested in answers. "What is all this?"

"You've been selected to meet with Mr. McCarthy, head recruiter for the world's leading software concern," suit number two informed her. The jet was delayed by fog at Sea-Tac, but he should be here any minute. Please," he pointed at the couch, "make yourself comfortable." Willow took a moment to take in the guy already sitting on the couch. He didn't seem very tall and his hair was obviously dyed. His body language was very relaxed.

Turning back to the recruiters, Willow prodded. "But I didn't even get my test back."

"The test was irrelevant. We've been tracking you for some time."

The Willow of a few months ago wouldn't know what to say to something like that. This Willow didn't have that problem. "Is that supposed to make me feel special?"

"I would hope so," suit number one told her. "We're extremely selective. In fact, only one other Sunnydale student met our criteria."

'Which would be the one sitting on the couch,' Willow mused. Without another word the two recruiters turned and left through the curtain.

_"I would almost say that they knew how to treat a goddess,"_ Siffy began._ "If it weren't for their rudeness."_

Willow couldn't help but agree with the sentiment, they hadn't even said goodbye. Thinking of nothing better to do, she went over to the couch and sat down on the other end. "Hi, I'm Willow."

When the boy looked up from his study of another tray of canapés, Willow noticed his surprise at seeing her. It wasn't very obvious, but it was there. His voice, however, betrayed none of that surprise. "Hey, Oz." Looking down again, he lifted the tray up and offered it to her. "Canapé?"

"Yes, please," she said not seeing anything better to do. "So... " Willow started trying to find a way to start the conversation. "Come here often?" And then blushed when she realized she'd just accidentally used a pick-up line.

Oz didn't react to it though and seemed to take her words at simple face value. "Not as much as I should," he admitted.

Willow looked weirdly at the boy. 'Is he saying he skips school? And he's supposed to fit the company's criteria?'

_"Obviously they have low standards,"_ Siffy grumbled no doubt put out by the implied insult to Willow. _"Intelligence is useless without the drive to use it!"_

'He might just have other interests,' the redhead reminded Siffy. "Uhm, you look older. Than me, I mean."

"Senior," he explained with a shrug.

"Right," Willow nodded along. "Right," she repeated before she could think of something else to say. "Got any hobbies?"

"No," he said. After a moment of silence, he continued. "I play in a band. I'm on the guitar."

Giving Oz a slight frown, Willow asked, "Isn't that a hobby?"

Shaking his head emphatically, Oz got more animated. "Nah, music isn't just something you do from time to time. It's something you live."

Willow listened to the words with a small smile. Like this Oz was a lot more... likeable.

***

Walking back from the stacks, Giles overheard Willow asking, "So Giles is sure that the vampire who tried to steal his book is connected to the ones you slayed last night?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he told them before anybody could answer for him. "Du Lac was both a, a... a theologian and a mathematician. This article," he said as he opened a National Geographic magazine, "describes an invention of his, which he called "The Du Lac Cross"."

Xander couldn't keep quiet hearing that. "So, why go to all the trouble of inventing something, and then giving it a weak name like that? I mean, I would've gone with "The Cross-o- matic", or, uh, "The Amazing Mr. Cross"." Seeing his joke is falling flat, he puttered out.

Ignoring Xander's remark, the Watcher continued with his explanation. "The cross was more than a mere symbol, it was used to understand certain mystical texts, to, uh, decipher hidden meanings and so forth."

"So you're saying these vampires went to all this hassle for your basic decoder ring?" Buffy summed up.

Giles was struck silent for a moment. That metaphor had been, well it had been very accurate actually. "Uh, actually, yes, I, I suppose I am."

"According to this," Willow read, "Du Lac destroyed every cross except the one buried with him."

"Why destroy your own work?" Buffy wondered.

Giles started to pace, he was starting to get an idea what this was about. Or better said, who was behind these thefts. "Perhaps he feared what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands."

"A fear we'll soon get to experience for ourselves up close and personal," Xander remarked.

"Unless we can preempt their plans," Giles amended. He already had his answer ready for when the inevitable question of how came up. "By learning what's in the book before they do. We have Du Lac's book, but not the cross so it is useless. We will have to pore over our books, find references and testimonies to what may be described in this coded text. Which means we can expect to be here later tonight," Giles finished as he sat down.

He missed Willow's enthusiastic response due to Gungnir's remark. _"Or you could let me see the text and crack the code for you."_

"What?" He accidentally said aloud as he gave the disguised weapon a surprised look. That outburst got the children's attention as well.

_"That's one of my main strengths," _the sentient cane lectured. _"Deciphering codes and previously unknown languages. What, you didn't think Odin really gained insight into the runes by hanging upside down for a while? He was just exercising while I did the figuring out."_

"Oh," Giles said. He felt slightly… disappointed after hearing that. He'd been looking forward to putting pieces of the puzzle together himself. 'Which is a silly desire when there are matters of life and death on the line,' he reflected.

"Giles, we can't hear what the spear is saying," Buffy reminded him. "So make with the explainey of why you're looking like you just heard there's a tweed-shortage."

"Yes, of course. Ehm, it would seem Gungnir here can function as a, ah, "decoder-ring" for us. He can decrypt Du Lac's book for us which makes the research I just mentioned somewhat… unnecessary."

Willow's soft sound of disappointment was drowned out by a cheering Buffy and Xander. "Alright, now I can just go on my date with Angel!" Buffy enthused.

That got Xander's attention. "Are you sure we shouldn't do some research, G-man? You know, to figure out why exactly a bunch of vamps are after it?"

"Quite sure, Xander," he told the youth. "You are naturally welcome to stay and peruse any volumes for your own enjoy-"

He was still speaking when Xander shot out of his chair. Looking at his bracelet he began to speak rapidly. "Will you look at the time. Got to go, bye!" And he was gone.

**Ice Skating Rink**

The sound of her skates cutting through the ice is the only sound filling the empty cavern that is the rink. 'This,' the Slayer thought as she turned and went for a spin, 'almost feels like I'm flying. Free from everything, just me and the ice.' Buffy skated on.

She'd invited Angel to join her but he'd told her he couldn't skate. That didn't really matter to Buffy, she was happy to teach him. The point of a date was to share an activity, wasn't it? But Angel had remained adamant and she didn't want to spoil the afternoon with an argument over something that silly. Angel wanted to keep his dignity by not stumbling around on the ice in front of Buffy and she would go along.

She'd barely finished thinking of stumbling around on the ice when Buffy botched up a crouching maneuver and landed on her posterior. Spinning and sliding over the ice she only came to a stop when she hit the sidewall. Giggling and unhurt, the blond started to get when a hand reached out to help her with that.

Help that would have been welcome if the man hadn't wrapped that hand around her neck and proceeded to lift her up just with that. Buffy was dangling by the neck now, face to face with someone she'd never seen before in her life. He looked like a biker, the ugly scar on his face that ran straight across a ruined eye only completed that image.

He was also silent, not giving her any explanation why he was trying to choke her as he laid her down on the railing and began to squeeze. The pressure on her throat and the awkward position made her flay about ineffectually, incapable of bringing her strength to bear.

Buffy stopped when she realized that while her air-supply was getting restricted, it wasn't being cut off. And from the angry look in the biker's eye, he was catching on to that as well. Grabbing his thumb with one hand and a few of his fingers with her other, she started to pry them off.

Only to be interrupted by Angel. He barreled into the one-eyed man, knocking them out of sight. Buffy herself went down with them but fell right next to the barrier onto the unyielding concrete. Grimacing at the shock of landing on her one knee, Buffy looked up just in time to see both Angel and the biker get up.

Angel didn't waste time and punched the man in the face, without any visible effect. The double-fisted punch he landed on Angel's stomach in return, however, most definitely did. Angel flew back several feet, only to get right back up. The vampire with a soul launched himself at the assailant again, jabbing the man in the face..

Shrugging that attack off as easily as the last one, the biker punched Angel in the face and gut, making him stagger. Now it was Angel's turn to be grabbed by the throat and lifted up. 'He really likes that,' Buffy thought sourly. 'And I thought vamps were the only one with a thing for necks.'

Grimacing at what this would do to her skates, Buffy charged at the biker. Hearing the blades bite into the stone, the one-eyed man turned his towards her. Just in time to see her leap up and swing her foot up in a flying kick, hitting him in the throat with the blade of her skate. The strike crushed the man's trachea and opened a vein. Clutching his own ruined throat now, the man let go of Angel and staggered for a few steps before collapsing. Blood soon began to pool beneath his body.

"Ewww," Buffy exclaimed. Trying to get her mind off of the possibly human man she'd just killed rather messily, she resorted to humor. "The Hellmouth presents: Dead Guys On Ice. Not exactly the evening we were aiming for," she said to Angel who was now crouching over the man and examining his hand. "What are you doing?"

Angel ignored her for a moment, so Mjöllnir butted in. _"And once again you forgot all about me,"_ he grumbled.

Buffy wasn't about to admit that she had, and conveniently Angel took that moment to stand up holding a ring in his hand. "You're in danger. You know what the ring means?"

Still a little shook-up, Buffy resorted to another joke. " I just killed a Super Bowl champ?"

It wasn't working for Angel. "I'm serious! You should go home and wait until you hear from me."

Buffy frowned at the fear in his voice. Belatedly she noticed Angel was still wearing his gameface. She approached him. "Are you okay?" he asked when she was just in front of him.

Not answering directly, Buffy put her gloved hand on his cheek and glanced at a cut above his eye. "What about you? That cut!"

"Forget about me. This is bad, Buffy. We gotta get you outta here."

"What, you mean hide?" She couldn't believe it. It had only been one guy. Sure, he was freaky strong but without the element of surprise, he hadn't been that much of a threat.

Angel thought differently, it would seem. "Let's just get you someplace safe!"

"What about your eye?" She reached back up at it, but Angel shook her off. "Hey! Don't be a baby. I'm not gonna hurt you."

The vampire looked away. "It's not that. I..."

"What?"

"You shouldn't have to touch me when I'm like this."

She looked at him like the idiot he was now being. "I don't care about that. That's nothing compared to…" It was her turn to trail off when she realized that saying what was inside him was a lot more off-putting. So instead she settled for removing her glove and reaching up to touch his brow and his wound, brushing gently across and down his cheek. "I don't care how you look," she told him.

His head dipped down and he kissed her, with Buffy responding. 'But can I say the same for how you feel to me?' she agonized. Attempting to drive that thought away, she deepened the kiss and then pulled away when she felt something. And Buffy felt even worse when a small part of her was glad the kiss was over.

Her head snapped around as she felt she was being watched. But peering into the dimly lit areas, she saw nothing that could be the source of that feeling. "What's wrong?" Angel asked.

Buffy had already opened her mouth to tell him about her suspicion when she thought better. There was obviously nobody there, she'd been imagining things. And Angel was already being a worrywart. "Nothing, I just thought… Nothing. Let's get out of here, my skates need cleaning and Giles will want to know about this."

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	11. Who's on Top?

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Who's on Top?**

**Sunnydale High**

Buffy waited impatiently with her friends while Giles finished his inspection of the ring. Willow had already been in the library but they had to call Xander back. Angel hadn't been very talkative but Buffy figured that whatever was going on, it was big and that meant her friends needed to know what was going on. They couldn't defend themselves well if they didn't know to look out, now could they?

But it would sure help if Giles hurried up and started talking. "This guy was pretty strong, Giles. And Angel was power-freaked by that ring," she prodded.

"I'm afraid he was not overreacting," he told her. "This ring is worn only by members of the Order of Taraka. It's a society of deadly assassins dating back to King Solomon."

Xander tried to lift the mood. "And didn't they beat the Elks this year in the Sunnydale adult bowling league championships?"

Smiling at the jibe, Buffy spoke up. "Yeah, already got that from Mjöllnir. Badass assassins, yadda yadda. Tell me something I don't know. Like why they came after little old me."

But Giles apparently thought she was dismissing them too easily. "Their credo is to sow discord and kill the unwary."

"Bowling is a vicious game," Xander lamented.

That got a laugh from the Slayer, but Giles reacted very differently. "That's enough, Xander!" Hearing that tone from her Watcher took Buffy aback. The librarian noticed he was scaring them and apologized. "Sorry. It's just not the time for jokes. I need to think."

"But why are these assassins after me? Why now?"

"'Cause you're the scourge of the underworld?" Willow ventured.

"I haven't been especially scourgey lately. Besides, they're in it for the money. So who have I pissed off lately that's actually still alive?"

Giles was rubbing his eyes. "First Spike and now this. I think the best thing we can do is to find a secure location. Somewhere out of the way you can go until we decide on the best course of action."

Buffy looked surprised at her Watcher. "Okay, now you and Angel have both said to head for the hills. Are you saying I can't handle this, that I'm not strong enough to fight these people? Because so far, I'm not exactly impressed by their employees."

"They're a breed apart, Buffy," Giles explained. "U-unlike vampires they have no earthly desires, but to collect their bounty. They find a target, and, uh... they eliminate it. You can kill as many of them as you like, it won't make any difference. Where there's one, there will be another, and another. They won't stop coming until the job is done. Each one of them works alone and in their own way. Some are human, some... are not. Y-you won't know who they are until they strike."

"Oh," Buffy said.

**Angel's apartment**

Buffy snuggled down in Angel's bed, trying vainly to get some sleep. She'd been on edge since Giles' had driven home just how dangerous the Order of Teriyaki was.

_"Taraka,"_ Mjöllnir corrected without much fire. _"It's the Order of Taraka. It's not a difficult name and you've only heard it about a dozen times in the last twelve hours. Don't get me wrong, mangling an opponent's name like that in their face is really funny! But otherwise, it's starting to get embarrassing."_

Buffy made a sound that could be interpreted as agreeing, but otherwise didn't react. She'd been so high-strung that she'd almost attacked a fellow student at school and now that she was somewhere safe, she was suddenly feeling really tired. And she hadn't even come here for safety, originally.

She'd been halfway to home when the Slayer had decided to see if Angel had found anything out yet. It wasn't like there was anybody waiting for her at home, and with assassins running around Sunnydale looking for one Buffy Summers that was for the best. But Angel hadn't been home. So Buffy had taken to waiting for him… In his bed, lying down with her eyes resting… Just for a little while… 'Then I'll go home… my own bed…' Buffy's drowsy mind resolved.

***

Alarm prodded Buffy awake. It wasn't a sound, not even really a feeling. It was the certainty that she was in danger. That an enemy wasn't just coming, it was already here, now. Hostility directed at her, coming from practically right next to her and poised to be unleashed.

Buffy's eyes shot open as her arm went up and caught the hatchet coming towards her. Looking past the weapon, she took in the girl holding the ax. She wasn't really surprised to see a young Caribbean girl with long, curly hair that was tied back and wearing large hoop earrings. Fighting vampires you learned real quick that an innocent face could very easily hide the mind of a monster.

'And she's certainly strong,' Buffy evaluated as she felt the girl trying to press the hatchet down. Wrenching the weapon out of the attacker's hands, the Slayer threw the hatchet across the room. At the same time, she brought a leg up and swung it across the girl's face. In response, the girl backed off to allow the limb to pass right in front of her, giving Buffy the chance to get up from the bed. "You must be number 2," the blond taunted.

The girl said nothing, but began to advance on her. As she did so, Buffy finally had a good chance to learn what her senses were telling her and what they reported was surprising. The girl looked human, even felt human, but there was something else there too. Power hovered in the background, dark and predatory, yet oddly elusive. Blocking her first strike, Buffy found out she was definitely stronger than she looked. 'Fast too,' she added as she deflected the follow-up jab.

'But not fast enough,' she smirked as she punched the assassin in the stomach twice before the girl could even think of pulling back. Not wasting the opening, Buffy flowed behind the girl kicking her in the knee as she did so. With the assassin's head now on a more manageable height for the diminutive blond, she wrapped her arms around it and held the girl in a headlock.

_"Stop, wait!"_ Mjöllnir ordered in a panic.

'Why?' Buffy asked as she fended off the girl's attempt to break free, and then tightened her hold to convince her from trying to escape again.

_"Because…"_ Mjöllnir began as the girl stopped resisting.

"Ya can't stop me," the girl suddenly said in a thick accent. "Even if ya kill me, another will take me place!" she boasted.

"Yeah, but I'm guessing your buddies at the Order are gonna get pretty skittish once I've taken enough of you assassins out without so much as breaking a nail," Buffy shot back.

"I'm no assassin," the black girl exclaimed indignantly. "I'm da Vampire Slayer!"

That brought Buffy up short. Then she started to laugh uproariously. The supposed slayer struggled against Buffy's hold upon hearing that but got still again when Buffy tightened her relaxed arms once more. "Ah, ah, ah. None of that. And that line works better when you're not facing the real Slayer, honey."

_"Actually, I think she is telling the truth,"_ Mjöllnir broke in. _"I've met Slayers before and they too had that weird energy."_

"Say what?" Buffy whispered astonished.

The "other slayer" didn't hear her as she was too busy talking herself. "Nonsense! There is but one, and I am she."

Feeling a little overwhelmed, okay a lot overwhelmed, Buffy tried to get her thoughts back into order. "Stop with the Slayer-thing. Okay, okay. First things first, are you with the Order of Naga-Tarasa-Taraka?"

"Of course not!"

'Damn, this girl can do indignant. Must practice in front of the mirror a lot,' Buffy joked. "Alright, a scenario. I let you go and we can go to my Watcher to figure this thing out." She put heavy emphasis on the "my Watcher" part. "If you promise not to go wiggy on me."

"Wiggy?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You know. No kick-o, no fight-o, no me kicking your ass-o? Again," she couldn't help but add.

For a moment, the girl remained absolutely still. "I accept your scenario," she finally told Buffy with as much dignity as she could muster on her knees, totally at the blonde's mercy.

Nodding to herself, Buffy let go and backed off to make sure there was a little room between them. Just because her opponent had said she wasn't going to fight, didn't mean Buffy took her for her word. A smirk appeared on her face when she noticed the careful way the girl was eyeing her. "Lets go. Slayers," Buffy made actual air-quotes with her fingers, "first."

**1630 Revello Drive**

" I can't believe you," Cordelia complained as she and Xander left her car "You dragged me out of bed for a ride? What am I, mass transportation?"

"That's what a lot of the guys say, but it's just locker room talk. I wouldn't pay it any mind," Xander told her casually.

"Oh, great, so now I'm your taxi and your punching bag." This felt better, arguing like this. Dealing with Xander after she first learned about the whole Aesir-thing had been awkward. But after a while Cordelia understood she was still dealing with the same old Xander. He was just easier on the eyes and had superpowers. 'But he's still a dork,' Cordelia concluded.

Xander wasn't aware of her inner musings. "I like to think of you more as my witless foil, but have it your way." The cheerleader watched as he went up to the porch and knocked on the door. When there was no answer he looked through the glass. "Buffy!" But still, there was no movement inside. "C'mon, Cordelia. You wanna be a member of the Scooby Gang you gotta be willing to be inconvenienced every now and then," he told her as he went around and tried one of the windows.

"Oh, right, because I lie awake at night hoping you tweakos will be my best friends." Xander tried another window, seemingly ignoring her. "And that my first husband will be a balding, demented homeless man," she prodded.

Instead of taking the opening, Xander managed to get the window open and went inside. "Buffy could be in trouble."

"And what if she is exactly? Did she suddenly become a normal freak? Let's face it, if she found something she couldn't handle, you wouldn't stand a chance either!"

"Well," he started as he opened the door for her, "at least I care, which is more than I can say about you." He turned back into the house. "Buffy! I'm gonna check upstairs," he told the cheerleader.

"You really think she wouldn't have heard you by now? She's not here," Cordelia opined as she came in and closed the door behind her. Xander, however, climbed the stairs and called for the blond again. 'I should just leave the dumbass here,' she grumbled while walking into the living room. 'It's obvious Buffy isn't home. Or she's dead,' she added with some sorrow. They weren't exactly friends but the Slayer had saved her life, which earned her some consideration from Cordelia. Especially because it meant she wouldn't be there to safe her from the next freaky thing this town would inevitably throw at Cordelia Chase.

The sound of knocking lured Cordelia back to the front door. Opening it, she was confronted with a short man in a cheap suit carrying a big suitcase. He wore glasses and a cheery smile that didn't do anything to endear himself to the cheerleader. "Good day. I'm Norman Pfister," he introduced himself while opening his suitcase. "I'm with Blush Beautiful Skin Care and Cosmetics. I was wondering if I might interest you in some free samples?"

That did endear him to Cordelia. Quite a lot actually. "Free?" She asked with a smile. Without further ado she stepped aside to let him in. Once they were in both in the foyer, Norman started rattling off a sales pitch most of which Cordelia paid no attention to. She was more interested in the part where she could peruse through the samples. "Do you have anything in raisin? I know you wouldn't think so, but I'm both a winter and a summer."

The response she got from the salesman was odd, to say the least. "Nine ninety-nine, tax included."

"You said that already. Do you have anything in the berry family?" She tried.

But that question was ignored too. "Are there more ladies in the house?"

"Oh, no," the cheerleader told him absentmindedly. "They're not home. You know, nothing personal, but maybe you should look into selling dictionaries, or... some..." Cordelia trailed off as she noticed an actual worm crawl out of the man's sleeve and onto the back of his hand.

'Maybe letting a strange guy into Buffy's home while there are people out looking to kill her wasn't such a great idea after all,' Cordelia considered. It was a testimony to just how scared she was right then, that the arrival of Xander actually filled her with relief. A little relief, of course, no need to go overboard. "Hey, what's up?"

"Um, he's a salesman, and he was just leaving, right? Uh, okay! Buh-bye! Thank you!"

Through some miracle, Xander got the hint. "Okay, Mary Kay, time to..." He reached out to the salesmen but stopped that motion when another worm crawled across the man's cheek and into his right ear. "Cordelia, run!" He shouted before slugging the guy in the face.

She'd started to back off as the salesman fell, only to stop in stunned amazement as the guy dissolved into a pile of bugs and worms when he hit the ground. Xander, too, froze for a second. Which was a second too long. The mass of icky insects simply moved as one towards Xander. There was a moment where Xander was standing in a pool worms and bugs, then the mass of creepy crawlers surged upward covering the boy. Cordelia could just see him hunker down, crossing his arms in front of his face before everything was covered in insects.

Cordelia shouted his name and even started to move towards him to do… something. She didn't know what, maybe swat them away. But she hadn't taken more than a single step when a lot of silver and sharp somethings punched through that mass.

Luke-warm bug juices and pieces of carapace were sprayed all over the living room, including Cordelia and her tasteful outfit. It happened again, and again, faster than she could blink. Sections of Xander's form were visible again after the second time so Cordelia could now see what was going on.

The silver armor she'd seen Xander in before had apparently managed to protect him just in time. It was also the reason the mass of insects was being cut up. Points all along the metal skin shot up as one giving him the appearance of a hedgehog for an instance. It wasn't an exact match, the "spines" Xander was producing weren't very long or thin but they were sharp.

For the second time in as many minutes, relief flooded through Cordelia. Which gave way to annoyance when she noticed she was covered in bug juice and insect-bits. Annoyance that exploded into fury when the same gross substance simply glided off of Xander's form followed by that silver skin-stuff leaving him unharmed and completely clean.

"Scratch one assassin!" Xander told her with a big smile.

"My clothes, look what you did to them!" the cheerleader fulminated.

"Hey, I'm not the numb-brain that let Mr. Mutant in the house!" Xander retorted.

"He looked normal!" Cordelia shouted defensively.

Xander started to raise his voice too. "What, is he supposed to have an arrow with the word "assassin" over his head?! All it took was the prospect of a free makeover, and you licked his hand like a big, dumb dog!" He yelled as he took a step towards Cordelia.

Cordelia closed in to, not feeling like backing off. "And I'm not the one that dragged us here looking for Buffy when she's obviously not here!"

"At least I care, you wouldn't give a damn if anybody but you became worm food!"

"Oh, no. Not just anybody," Cordelia said softly as they were almost nose to nose. "You're special."

For a moment, Xander was grasping for a comeback. Cordelia shot him a victorious grin. That started the argument back up, although with much shorter sentences. "Moron!" Xander spitted out.

"Loser!"

"I hate you!" Xander ground out in her face.

"I hate you!" Cordelia volleyed right back. Breathing hard now, they looked at each other for another second. The next thing she knew they simultaneously grabbed each other and suddenly she was kissing him like she'd never kissed anybody before, and being kissed like never before.

The insanity lasted for several seconds before she realized just whom she was kissing. Disengaging her tingling lips she looked wide-eyed into Xander's equally freaked-out features. "We so need to get outta here," Xander concluded.

Nodding vigorously, Cordelia already started to dash out of the obviously cursed house. It wasn't until she was in the car that she remembered she was covered in insect remains. "My car!" the cheerleader lamented.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	12. Taking the Hint

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Taking the Hint**

**Sunnydale High**

Not for the first time, Giles' fingers itched for some glasses to clean. The young girl standing at attention before him was something he hadn't even dreamed possible. His eyes darted to Buffy, who was leaning on a chair with her left hand while her right hand rested on her hip. She didn't look so much flustered as annoyed.

Of course, being attacked in your sleep could do that to you. "And your Watcher i-is Sam Zabuto, you say?"

The girl gave no sign that his repetition of questions she'd already answered bothered her. "Yes, sir."

"We've never met," the Watcher, said absentmindedly. "But he, he's very well-respected."

"What, so he's a real guy? As in non-fictional?" Buffy asked.

He actually had less of a trouble buying that than the… other part. "And you are called...?" He should have asked her name sooner but he'd forgotten due to the shocking information Buffy had simply dumped on him.

"I am de Vampire Slayer," the girl said unhelpfully.

The repeating answers wasn't getting to the girl, they were getting to Buffy. "We got that part, hon. He means your name."

"Oh. Dey call me Kendra," she told Giles. "I have no last name, sir."

"Can you say 'stuck in the 80's'?" Buffy said dismissively.

"Buffy, please. Uh, there's obviously some, some misunderstanding here," he began saying when Willow came bouncing into the library with a smile on her face. Before he could make introductions, Kendra marched around Buffy and intercepted the redhead.

Willow gave her a look, and then waved past her at Buffy and him. "Hey! Who's this?"

All signs of politeness left Kendra. "Identify yourself!"

That earned her an offended look from Willow and a tired sigh from Giles. This was not helping with the tension. "Back off, pink ranger!" Buffy told the Caribbean girl. "This is my friend."

Kendra tasted the word like it was spoken in some alien tongue. "Friend?"

"Yeah. As in person you hang with? Amigo?" Buffy clarified.

The new Slayer's face was a picture of puzzlement. "I don't understand."

Exasperated, Buffy turned to the librarian. "You try. I'm tapped," she told the Watcher as she sat down in a chair.

Probably for the best, he'd read the handbook so he knew what the cause for the miscommunication here was. "Kendra, there are a few people, uh, civilians if you like, who know Buffy's identity. Willow is one of them, and they also, um, spend time together, uh, socially."

The amazed expression Kendra wore did not leave off at that news. "And you allow dis, sir?"

"Allow is not the word," he mumbled to himself before wincing when he realized Buffy at the very least would have heard that.

"But de Slayer must work in secret for security," Kendra went on.

"Of course, that is the standard procedure. But, uh, the situation here requires some flexibility."

"Why?"

Now Willow spoke up. "Hi, guys. What's going on? What is she?" she asked as she went to sit across from Buffy. That question brought the matter of what he hadn't told the Council sharply back into focus. So far, Kendra didn't seem to suspect Buffy was anything but an ordinary Slayer. His mind paused at that absurdity, Buffy had never been anything but unconventional. Still, he had to let them know that Kendra couldn't find out about their weapons.

Buffy wasn't aware of her Watcher's musings and started to explain things to Willow. "Apparently there's been a really big mix-up."

Jumping into the conversation, Giles hoped he could convey his message to keep certain matters quiet. "My communications with the Watchers' Council have been sparse since the, ahem, night of Saint Vigeous. So without informing me, it would seem they, uh, decided to send another Slayer to Sunnydale."

Buffy got a thoughtful look at hearing that while Willow's grew suspicious for a brief instant before smoothing out into a curious one. "Is that even possible? I mean, two Slayers at the same time?" she wondered.

"Not to my knowledge." Nor to Gungnir's, he carefully didn't say. "The new Slayer is only called after the previous Slayer has died. Uh..." It finally dawned on him and Gungnir at the same time. "Oh, good Lord! You were dead, Buffy."

_"But not truly dead, or life could not have been breathed back into her,"_ the spear mused. _"I had not thought it enough, yet it is not surprising that this hasn't happened before. Usually, Slayers fight alone and their deaths are a lot more bloody than a drowning."_

"I was only gone for a minute," she said defensively.

"Clearly it doesn't matter how long you were gone," the Watcher concluded. "You were physically dead! Thus causing the activation of the, the next Slayer." Which still did not explain why he wasn't informed of that happening. It had happened months ago! 'It seems the Council does not trust me either,' he thought sadly.

Kendra now eyed Buffy warily. "She died?"

The blond tried to play it down. "Just a little."

"She drowned, but she was revived." He shot his charge a sympathetic look.

"So there really are two of them," Willow concluded.

Giles nodded. "It would seem so. This is completely unprecedented! I'm quite flummoxed."

"What's the flum?" Buffy wanted to know. "It's a mistake, she isn't supposed to be here, she goes home!" His Slayer was starting to get worked up as she now faced Kendra. "Look, no offense, I really don't mean this personally, but I'm not dead, and frankly having you around creeps me out just a little bit."

"I cannot just leave," Kendra returned firmly. "I was sent here for a reason. Mr. Zabuto said all de signs indicate dat a very dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale."

"And what's your great plan for finding this dark power? You just gonna attack people randomly till you find a bad one?"

"Of course not!" Kendra shot back with some heat.

"Then why the hell did you attack me?" Buffy wanted to know.

"I thought you were a vampire."

"Oh, a swing and a miss for the rookie," Buffy mocked as she leaned back onto the table.

"I had good reason to think you were. Did I not see you kissing a vampire?" The Slayer said accusingly.

Now Willow got up. "Buffy would never do that! Oh, except for..." The redhead turned to Buffy. "She must have been watching your date with Angel. You didn't tell me you two shared a kiss!"

Buffy shrugged. "Kissing a few feet from a very dead assassin isn't really romantic Willow. Or as important as the news that I got assassins gunning for me."

"Angel?" Kendra wondered. "You mean Angelus? I've read about him. He is a monster."

Giles was getting just a little tired of this all. It was times like these he realized just how strange their lives here in Sunnydale must seem even to people in the know who came from elsewhere. "No, he's good now. He has a gypsy curse," Buffy explained.

"He has a what?"

"Y'know what, just trust me on this one, okay? He's on the home team now."

Kendra's expression became dismissive. "I cannot believe you. He looked to me just like anodder animal when I..."

"When you what?" Buffy prompted when the other slayer trailed off. "What did you do to him?" Apparently, it wasn't something Kendra still thought had been a good idea because she floundered for an answer. "What did you do?!" Buffy asked menacingly.

***

"Scratch one Tarakan assassin," Xander crowed as the library doors closed behind him. Beaming a pleased smile at Willow and Giles who were pouring over some books at the table, he strutted towards them. "I came, I saw, I turned him into intsy-bitsy bits. Grossed Cordelia out as a bonus."

Mentioning Cordelia made his mind jump to the aftermath and the obvious temporary insanity his victory had induced. She'd gone home after dropping him off, to get some fresh clothes and to shower. Not to mention brush her teeth a few times, Xander felt the urge to do that himself.

"Good Lord, Xander. What happened?" Giles asked as Willow examined him with a concerned look.

Nonchalantly, Xander took a seat opposite of Giles. "We went to Buffy's home, then Cordelia got the bright idea to let the assassin in. He was a weirdo, Giles. I mean, creepy with a capital C. He was a bug person."

"What is it with you and bug people, Xander?" Willow wondered.

"No, no, this wasn't like Praying Mantis-lady. This guy wasn't a bug, he was made of them. He turned into this big pile of worms and critters."

Giles frowned. "That sounds like an elusive opponent. I take it from your entrance that you did defeat it."

"Yep, he was no match for Fel. I got my armor out before the things could cover me, after that it was just a matter of making like a hedgehog and presto, one sliced and diced assassin coming up. The living room's a mess though, we better warn Buffy so she can get it cleaned before her mom comes back. Did you hear anything from her yet?" he asked with concern.

The librarian nodded. "Ah, yes we have. She came in with Kendra, who is, apparently, another Vampire Slayer."

Xander blinked at that news. "Isn't there supposed to be only one?"

"Until she dies and the next one is called, Xander." Willow looked meaningfully at him.

At first, he didn't get what she was hinting at. Then, it hit him. "Buffy died," he whispered as he relived seeing her lying face down in that pool. The horrible knowledge that all his efforts had been for nothing, he had been too late. 'No, I wasn't.' He shook that memory off. 'Buffy's fine now, better than fine.'

"So, why didn't we hear about this before G-man?"

"Because the Council didn't see fit to inform me another Slayer had been called. I just called with Sam Zabuto, that is the new Slayer's Watcher…"

"Who is just called Kendra," Willow interrupted. "Doesn't have a last name."

"Yes, thank you Willow, I believe I already mentioned her name. As I was saying, I have conferred with Mr. Zabuto and he was surprised to learn Buffy was still alive. Apparently the Council led him to believe Buffy's death had been permanent. Which brings me to an urgent matter I need to talk to you about while Kendra isn't here."

Xander was wondering where Buffy and the new Slayer were anyway, but kept still. It was obvious Giles was worrying about something. "You must refrain from using or even talking about our weapons while Kendra is about. Act like a normal teenager."

He blinked at hearing that. "Why?"

"Because Giles doesn't want the Watchers' Council to find out we have them," Willow explained. "He thinks they'll try and take them away from us."

Xander shot upright in his chair. "Are you serious?"

The Watcher shook his head wearily. "I'm afraid they might take that course of action, " he corrected. "But honestly, they may decide that you and Willow fall outside their jurisdiction since you are neither demons nor evil. Buffy and I, on the other hand, most definitely do fall under their authority."

"I think Buffy will have a thing or two to say about that," Xander murmured.

Giles agreed. "Yes," he drawled. "Which is why I think it is in everyone's best interest not to expedite a conflict between us and them. I haven't had a chance yet to make that clear to Buffy, I can only hope she got my hint and will refrain from using Mjöllnir."

"Speaking of Buffy, where did she go?" Xander finally asked.

***

Buffy was relieved to see all of her friends gathered in the library, safe and unharmed. "He wasn't there anymore, Giles." She told her Watcher. Feeling too agitated to sit, she started to pace back and forth. "Willy said he let him go but the weasel was too nervous. I think he was lying but what I don't know is why!"

"I believe I can help with that," Giles answered. "I've…" He looked over at Kendra, then back at Buffy. "I believe I know why those vampires were after Du Lac's book and his cross. I found a ritual, described in Du Lac's book, to, ah, restore a weakened vampire to full health."

"How did you translate Du Lac's book without his cross, sir?" Kendra wondered. Buffy almost snapped the answer to her, irritated at her constant delays when she remembered that might not be a good idea. Giles seemed to be keen on not letting the girl know about Mjöllnir, Gungnir, and the others.

So she let Giles field the question. "Ah, yes, well, ahem, the, eh, field of code-breaking hasn't stayed still since Du Lac's time. And I had help," he nodded to Willow. "Now, I believe that Spike is behind these thefts. He's planning on reviving Drusilla. She's most likely the dark power your Watcher referred to. You see, Drusilla is not just evil, she's also quite mad and is reported to have been a seer in life. If she were to return to full strength, well, there, there really is no telling what she will do."

"Den we will stop Spike," Kendra resolved.

"Ooo, good plan, let's go, charge!" Buffy mocked. Giles still hadn't told her about how Angel figured into all this. But Buffy was starting to suspect it wasn't in a good way.

"Buffy..." her Watcher admonished.

She toned it down. A little. "It's a little more complicated than that, John Wayne."

"Yes, I'm afraid it is. You see, Spike has also called out the Order of Taraka to keep Buffy out of the way," Giles explained. "We've already defeated two of them, but more are undoubtedly on the way."

"De assassins?" Kendra asked interested. "I read of dem in de writings of Dramius." Buffy herself was more interested in this second assassin that hadn't attacked. Looking at her friends she decided Xander was probably the one that had dealt with him. She felt some concern, but the fact that Giles had said defeated and Xander was obviously all right meant it was only a little.

Of course the mentioning of some old book sidetracked Giles right away. "Oh, really? Which volume"

"I believe it was six, sir."

A question surfaced in Buffy's mind. Wasn't Kendra a Slayer, so how come she was being all Watchery? "Um, how do you know all this?"

"From me studies," Kendra told her like it was obvious.

"So, obviously you have a lot of free time." The girl really rubbed her the wrong way.

"I study because it is required. The Slayer handbook insists on it."

Willow asked the question Buffy was thinking. "There's a Slayer handbook?"

"What handbook? How come I don't have a handbook?" Buffy chimed in.

"Is there a T-shirt, too?" Willow wondered earning her a suffering look from Buffy. "It's not like Xander is the only one that's allowed to make jokes," she muttered.

Finally, Giles spoke up. "After meeting you, Buffy, I realized that, uh, the handbook would be of no use in your case."

'That… Doesn't really sound flattering,' Buffy considered. "Well, what do you mean it would be of no use in my case? Wha- what's wrong with my case?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed when Giles looked anywhere but at her. "Uh, Kendra, um, perhaps you'd like to show me the, the part in, uh, Dramius Six where, uh, uh, where it refers to the Order of Taraka. Really, I-I, I seem to have never been able to get through that book. It was a bit stodgy."

And of course the watcher's pet helped him get off the topic of why Buffy didn't get a handbook. "It was difficult. All dose footnotes." Kendra actually giggled and Giles joined in with a half-hearted one.

Having heard enough and before they could descent completely to planet pocket protector, Buffy pulled the discussion back to the subject she was interested in. "Giles, Angel?"

"Ah, right. The ritual needs to be held in a church at the night of the new moon and it requires the sire of the vampire in question. And according to our research, Drusilla's sire was…"

"Angel," Buffy finished mutely. "That slimy weasel gave Angel to Spike, I know it! I'll make him tell me where he is." Turning around, the blond started to storm out of the library so she could pound some answers out of the Willy when Giles called her back.

"Buffy; that may not be necessary. There are some requirements for the church where the ritual is to be held and I highly doubt Spike or Angel is there now anyway. We will have to wait until tonight," Giles explained gently.

Balling her fists in frustration, Buffy squeezed them hard then let go. She gave her Watcher a reluctant nod. "Okay, we wait."

"Excellent." Her Watcher was quiet for a moment. "Oh, well, Buffy, Principal Snyder was snooping round after you."

"Career fair," the Slayer moaned.

"Best make an appearance, I think," Giles proposed and Buffy reluctantly agreed.

This exchange prompted Kendra to ask if Buffy was a student here. Upon hearing the blond was indeed that, Kendra exploded. "Riiight, of course. And I imagine she's a cheerleader as well."

The sarcasm flew straight over Giles' head; who answered in all seriousness. "Oh, no, well, a-a-actually she had to give up her cheerleading." Kendra shot him a disbelieving look.

'Looks like she's forgetting to be the perfect Slayer,' Buffy mused.

"Uh, it was quite an amusing story, actually," Giles went on. "Uh, let's go and find the book, shall we?" He proposed when he finally saw that it was one bridge too far for Kendra.

Shaking her head at the antics of her Watcher, Buffy left the library so she could jump through yet another of the Commandant's hoops. "I'll come with you," Willow called after her.

Buffy shot her a smile. "Thanks." Looking back into the library before the doors closed, she spotted Kendra and Giles pulling out a book. "Get a load of the she-Giles."

"It's not that bad," Willow consoled.

"Maybe," the blond conceded. "But I'll bet Giles wishes I was more of a book geek."

"Giles is enough of a book geek for the both of you," the redhead countered.

"Yeah, but did you see how they were vibing?" Buffy continued in a mocking voice, "Volume six, ha, ha, ha!"

"Buffy, no one could replace you. You'll always be Giles' favorite."

"I wonder." She couldn't help but put a note of longing into those words.

"Of course, you will. You're his Slayer. The real Slayer."

"No," Buffy corrected. "I wonder if it would be so bad, being replaced."

"You mean, like, letting Kendra take over?"

"Maybe. I mean, maybe after this thing with Spike and the assassins is over, I could say, "Kendra, you slay, I'm going to Disneyland"."

Willow's face turned concerned. "But not forever, right?"

The Slayer shook her head. "No, Disneyland would get boring after a few months. But I could do other stuff. Career day stuff. Maybe I could even have a normal life."

_"That would get boring fast,"_ Mjöllnir commented. _"And haven't we gone over this already? You might last for a vacation, but eventually you won't be able to help yourself. You'll go out there and fight, because you know there are things out there that need to be fought."_

'Oh, but I do still get vacations, right?' Buffy shot back.

_"Hmmm, depends. Will there be a lot of nude-sunbathing involved in these vacations?"_

A feint blush appeared on her face at that comment and for a moment she simply didn't have any comeback, then she had it. An evil smile parted her lips, making Willow look questioningly at her. 'That's enough out of you, buddy. One more perverted comment and I'll hang you in front of the TV and put Barney the dinosaur on. Maybe that will cure that sex-obsession of yours.'

_"You wouldn't?"_ Mjöllnir asked horrified. Buffy didn't say anything but radiated resolve. _"You would… I've always wanted to go to Disneyland!"_

Willow's voice pulled her back to the real world. "Well, right now we're still dealing with assassins and vampires. Which reminds me, you haven't used Mjöllnir around Kendra, right?" Buffy shook her head. "Good, that's good. Giles hasn't told the Council about Mjöllnir and the rest, he's afraid that… that…"

Seeing Willow's distraught face did nothing to put Buffy at ease. "He's afraid they'll do what?" she prompted.

"That they'll try and take them away," rushed out.

Buffy didn't know what to say. "Oh." How did she feel about that? Mjöllnir was a pervert and could be pain in the neck, but still... She couldn't really explain it but she felt that the mystical hammer was hers; that it belonged with her. And she wouldn't give it up just because some tweed-clad men in England ordered her to do so. 'Which is why Giles doesn't want them to know,' she concluded wryly. 'What they don't know, won't hurt them.'

"Okay," she said trying to move away from that depressing subject. "My tests say that I should look into law enforcement and environmental design."

"Environmental design. That's landscaping, right?"

The blond nodded. "I checked the "shrub" box. But landscaping was yesterday, so law enforcement it is."

They stopped near the steps to the couches in the lounge. Looking around to find the law enforcement booth, Buffy noticed a guy on one of the couches looking over at Willow. "Hey, Will, don't look, okay, but... that guy over there is totally checking you out," she teased.

Then she remembered their conversation in the cemetery. "Oh, sorry. Forgot you like," she moved closer to Willow to whisper the next few words, "girls now."

Seeing Willow's uncertainty, Buffy could kick herself. "Buffy, are we... are we okay with this? I thought we were but… you don't have to whisper it, you know."

Taking a deep breath, the Slayer went over what she was going to say. She had no intention of hurting her friend by a careless word. "I was surprised," she started. "I had this image of you, and then I found out it had changed or maybe it had never been right… Anyway, you're my best friend and nothing is going to change that," she told Willow earnestly. "I'm just inexperienced when it comes to performing best friend-duties for a best friend who's gay. That's all."

Buffy withstood Willow's searching look until the redhead gave her a happy smile that the Slayer gladly answered. "Now, I need to go find law enforcement." From the corner of her vision, she noticed a certain someone approaching. "And it looks like that guy doesn't know you're not interested."

Now Willow did look. "Oh, that's Oz. He's expressing computer nerd solidarity."

"Hmm, if you say so," Buffy told her with a doubting look. "But I gotta run now."

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	13. The Chosen One

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**The Chosen One**

**Sunnydale High**

Signing her name on the clipboard, Buffy looked the officer over who was staffing the booth. Although booth was a pretty big word for what amounted to no more than a table. The officer herself looked a little more impressive. She had broad shoulders and a belt containing all the tools of the trade, including a gun. 'Criminals would respect her,' Buffy considered. 'She looks tough; me, they'd probably laugh themselves silly... until I lift them off the ground with one hand, that is,' she finished a little smug.

She was apparently the last one, because she had barely stood back when the officer picked the clipboard up and started reading off the names. "Alright, listen up, and answer when I call your name. Buffy Summers." The blond raised her arm tentatively. But the officer said nothing, just nodded, and put the clipboard down.

Then the woman calmly drew her sidearm and pointed it at Buffy. For a moment, the Slayer wondered why the police would want to shoot her. Then it clicked. 'Assassin number 3 and this one uses guns.' Unfortunately, the gunwoman didn't hesitate and before Buffy could make her move she had already squeezed off a round.

As Buffy tried to twist her body out of the way, the air turned to molasses, or so it seemed. Her body suddenly moved oh so sluggishly and she could have sworn that she actually saw the bullet travel towards her. Then the moment was passed and something had traced a fiery line across her left biceps. Around Buffy, the students finally reacted with the predictable panic but most were smart enough to dive to the ground.

The fake officer adjusted her aim, but Buffy had no intention of giving her another free shot. Buffy crossed the distance between them before the assassin could fire and pushed the woman's hands and the firearm up into the air causing the next round to harmlessly impact into the ceiling. The Slayer felt her opponent's struggle, but had no problem keeping her arms right where they were. 'No super strength for this one, I think she's human.' She looked like one to her senses, in any case.

But that only meant she wasn't going to kill the woman. 'Not when I can "disarm" her,' she punned. Putting her thought into action, it was Buffy's turn to squeeze. The woman's wrist bones resisted the pressure for a few seconds, the assassin managing to keep more or less quiet. Then Buffy felt those bones give way and the woman couldn't hold back a pain-filled yammer.

The gun dropped out of her now powerless fingers and clattered to the floor. A knee to the stomach bent the assassin over and then with a swift motion Buffy maneuvered those arms to the fake officer's back so she could use the woman's own handcuffs to restrain her. "Every bad guy should bring his own restraints with him," she quipped.

Most of the kids were still on the ground when Snyder suddenly appeared. His attention immediately zeroed in on Buffy who was holding the gunwoman face down on the table. "Summers, what do you think you're doing? Release the police officer this instant! I will have you expelled for this!"

For a brief moment, Buffy was gripped with the intense desire to hurl the assassin at Snyder and tell the little troll to clean up the mess for once. Then it passed. "Great idea!" she enthused. "That will play really well with the press once they hear you let a fake police officer on school grounds who was going to empty her loaded gun on the students," she stressed the words "you", "school grounds" and "loaded gun". "Why, this school might even get some national attention at last. I hear school shootings are really popular with news people these days," Buffy finished sweetly.

Okay, maybe she hadn't calmed down. Snyder took another look at the assassin and then came to a decision. "Nobody is going anywhere, especially you Summers, while I'll call the police."

"And an ambulance!" Willow called out. "Oz got shot!"

Snyder shot the redhead a venomous look. Or maybe the wounded Oz, Buffy couldn't tell from this angle. But the principal did nod. That was no comfort to Buffy. 'Oz got shot? It must have been that first shot, the one I dodged. I should have taken the hit, I'm a lot sturdier than anybody else here. Stupid, you didn't think,' she berated herself.

**The Factory**

"Kill the unwary, my arse!" Spike ranted. Drusilla had just flipped the third card signaling every Tarakan assassin he had paid good money for had been defeated. "They didn't even make the bitch bleed! I would have gotten better results if I had simply paid Willy's regulars to take a swing at her. It would have been cheaper!"

Finally cooling down, he tried to keep in mind not everything had gone wrong. He had everything he needed to do the ritual and in a few hours it would be dark. In fact, they should start thinking of heading for the church. "It's bloody false advertisement, that's what it is," he complained.

A scream came from his and Dru's bedroom. Now there was a sound that put a spring in a bloke's step. "I should lodge a complaint," he joked followed by a chorus of laughter from the assembled vampires. "Alright on to tonight's event. You're all in charge of keeping everybody out, especially the Slayer. If I do see her tonight and you're not dead before that happens…" Another pain-filled scream rang through the factory. "You get to be Dru's new toy."

He nodded to himself at seeing the nervous glances the minions exchanged at that news. 'Keep the help cowed and your woman happy, all in one fell swoop. I still got it.'

**The Church**

'It feels odd to march into battle with others,' Kendra pondered. She snuck another sideways look at Buffy, the other Slayer. Even if she'd just been that, it would have been bizarre. But Buffy wasn't a normal Slayer, her life was very strange and… full.

'Yes, that's the word. Her life is filled with all these other things. Friends, even a boy one.' That led to Xander and… She could feel her insides squirm pleasantly at the memory. She'd never been that close to a boy her own age, let alone talked to him. And he looked very handsome. He also knew about Slayers, something else that shouldn't be.

She didn't know if Buffy's family knew about her calling but wouldn't be surprised if they did. She was still living with them after all. But the oddest thing was that Buffy had a boyfriend. She loved a vampire, a supposedly good one. And wasn't that a shock.

He was the reason they weren't here to stop Spike and Drusilla, they were here to rescue Angelus. 'Those priorities are all wrong,' Kendra judged. 'It's obvious why she died, she lets herself be distracted by all these unnecessary things to the point she thinks they're more important than her destiny.'

And yet… And yet it had been Buffy that had quickly won their fight. Kendra thought her technique was better, but Buffy clearly outclassed her in both strength and speed. So if Kendra was more like a Slayer should be, how come it was Buffy that seemed to be the stronger fighter?

She had the feeling something strange was going on in Sunnydale. The only problem was, how did you separate it from all the other strange goings-on in this town. Kendra had no idea, but hopefully her Watcher would after she'd given him her full report.

***

Spike walked up the main aisle from the altar with a burning incense censer as he gave Angel and Drusilla a once over. They were strapped together to a chain that hanged from the ceiling. Angel's right hand was tied to the chain above his head, just like the book had said.

After confirming everything was in order, Spike began waving the censer around. "Eligor. I name thee. Bringer of war, poisoners, pariahs, grand obscenity. Eligor, wretched master of decay, bring your black medicine," he finished.

Drusilla repeated those last two words as he set the censer down on the altar and picked up the Du Lac Cross with a gloved hand. "Come," he recited as he held the cross upside-down. "Restore your most impious, murderous child."

Again, Drusilla dreamily repeated the last two words he'd said. Ignoring the byplay, Spike grabbed the downward-pointing tip of the cross with his other hand and yanked down. With that motion he pulled out a dagger.

Discarding the rest of the cross on the altar, he advanced on Angel. "From the blood of the sire she is risen." He took Drusilla's left hand and raised it to Angel's so she could clasp it. "From the blood of the sire, she shall rise again." With a swift stroke Spike stabbed the blade through their hands.

Angel screamed in agony while a blindingly bright pink light emanated from their wounds. A pulse of energy spread out, and then the light died back down to a faint glimmer as the ritual really got under way. "Right, then! Now we just let them come to a simmering boil, and remove to a low flame."

He wasn't sure how long it was before things went wrong, but Spike knew it was too soon because the energy-transfer was still going on. The doors banged opened and the Slayer with her friends strode into the nave of the church. They stopped halfway as the vampires he'd positioned inside the building closed ranks.

Ambling up to them, he was just in time to hear the Slayer whisper Angel's name. "Yeah. It bugs me, too, seeing him like that. A few more minutes, though, and Angel will be dead, so... I forbear. Don't feel too bad for Angel, though, he's got something you don't have."

"What's that?" The blond asks angrily.

But Spike just smiled, he loved it when he got an opening like that. "A few more minutes." His minions were smart enough to understand they're supposed to attack now. They rushed the Slayer's friends, driving them back leaving just the Slayer and a black girl he'd never seen before for him.

"Who the hell is this?!" He wonders aloud as both girls go into a fighting stance. The girl moved fast, grabbing him by the shirt.

"It's your lucky day, Spike," Buffy taunted.

"Two Slayers!" the girl holding him by the shirt chimed in before punching him in the face. 'Wait, two Slayers? That's impossible! Isn't it?' Spike wondered.

A jab from what he had thought was the only Slayer knocked him to the floor. "No waiting!"

Getting up, Spike pulled his coat right. "Right, two of you. I don't care if there's a hundred. I say, bring it on!" With those words he waded in, feinting for Buffy then changing the target of his charge to the new Slayer. She'd apparently counted on catching him engaged with Buffy and scrambled to put up a defense.

It wasn't good enough. With his first arm sweep he knocked her off balance and the follow-up haymaker actually connected sending the bint sprawling. Then it was Buffy's turn. With some luck, he managed to just evade her kick but her jab to his ribs felt like a sledgehammer had hit him.

He stumbled a few steps back, then righted himself. "I'd rather be fightin' you anyway."

"Mutual," the blond snarled back. She blocked his thrust, then punched him in the ribs again. This time he felt something crack. Backing off his eyes darted around trying to find something to get a leg up on the blond. He saw it when the other slayer raced towards him.

She sent a flurry of blows towards him, most of which he blocked but a jab got through and knocked his head back. Pretending to be forced back; he turned his awkward stumble into a snap kick to the new Slayer's stomach when she tried to take advantage of the imagined opening, doubling her over. He saw Buffy was already coming towards him so he shoved the doubled over girl right into the blond, causing them to fall down in a heap.

Glancing over the rest of the church he was just in time to see the last of his minions turn to a heap of dust. "Bloody hell." He couldn't stay, time had run out. Flicking his lit lighter on the painting supplies he sped towards the altar. As the flames quickly spread thanks to his liberal use of paint-thinner earlier, he pulled the knife out of Dru's hand and in the same motion launched it at the Slayer's redheaded friend. Seeing the girl's bloody hair actually move and catch the knife before it could hit almost brought him to a stop.

But his concern for Drusilla, not to mention his own undead-existence, kept him going. Unstrapping his love from Angel, he lifted her into his arms. "Sorry, baby. Gotta go." He started to run down the aisle as the humans on both sides struggled to get past the flames. "Hope that was enough."

He kept his attention firmly fixed on getting out, not even looking back when the sound of splintering wood drowned out the roaring of the flames. Not stopping when Buffy called out his name or when a big something blocked the light of the fires.

So he didn't see the pew soaring towards him, only becoming aware of it when it crashed into him and Drusilla and brought them along as it crashed into the church organ. By the time the organ's superstructure collapsed, the huge brass pipes clanging and rolling everywhere, he was already mercifully unconscious.

**Sunnydale High**

Kendra had finally gone home and it wasn't a minute too soon for Buffy. She thought she'd managed to explain that whole throwing-an-entire-pew thing away. Kendra hadn't gotten a good look so when Buffy had told her it was more of a bench she'd managed to sling away. That was more believable than her actually tearing off and throwing a pew anyway, she could barely believe it herself.

Upon entering the library she noticed Giles was staring into space with a worried look. "Alright, Giles. It's Saturday morning but you said it was important so here I am. Do you mind telling me what's got you so riled up? I mean, we saved Angel, beat Spike, the contract on me is up, and Kendra has gone home. Don't we usually have a waiting period between crises?" She asked as she took a seat.

"Ah, yes, well, this-this is not a crisis per se…" Giles actually seemed to fidget. "This has more to do with a, ah, hunch Gungnir came to me with after Kendra's visit."

She was getting a bad feeling. "Oh? What kind of hunch?"

"Ehm, perhaps hunch is not the right word… Yes, theory might be better. Suspicion would work-"

"Giles!" Buffy interrupted. "Get to the point. How bad is it?"

"Oh, no. It's not really bad. At least, I don't…" Seeing Buffy's look he trailed off. "Right, the point. When Gungnir learned a new Slayer had been called, he began to suspect…. Well, he came to me with that suspicion after all the excitement with Spike was over and I've been doing research ever since to see if he was right."

"Is this about Kendra? Isn't she a slayer after all?" Buffy honestly didn't know how to feel about that one. Her very existence had been wig-some but she'd grown on the blond. A little anyway.

Giles shook his head. "No, no, not at all. Kendra is the Slayer that much is certain. No, this was about you. About your status as a slayer." Her Watcher took a deep breath. "Buffy, when you died in the Master's cave you-you-you stopped being the Slayer because the Slayer Essence went to Kendra, activating her."

"Okay," Buffy started slowly. "So I'm just a slayer, that isn't really something I hadn't figured out yet."

"No, Buffy. What I'm trying to say is that not only did you stop being the Slayer, you stopped being a slayer."

Buffy was sure she was hearing it wrong. "I, I think I just dozed off or something because I could have sworn you said that for the last few months I haven't been a slayer," she finished with a fake-laugh.

"Actually, Buffy, that's exactly what I'm saying," Giles told her gently.

Buffy's thoughts skittered into a thousand directions at once. "What?"

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	14. The Opening Move

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**The Opening Move**

**Sunnydale High**

Willow watched guiltily as Oz struggled to get a box of animal crackers from a vending machine with his right arm in a sling. 'That's my fault. If I'd only been a little quicker,' she agonized. She had managed to deflect the bullet with a braid, but she'd wasted precious time angling the stream of hair so Oz wouldn't notice it. The end result was that the projectile had managed to graze his arm and leave a large dose of guilt in Willow.

He straightened up and noticed Willow was there. "Oh, hey! Animal cracker?" he asked as he offered her the box.

She shook her head in the negative. "No, thank you. How's your arm?"

"Suddenly painless."

"You can still play the guitar okay?"

"Oh, not well, but not worse," he tells her in a voice that makes it difficult for Willow to decide if he was joking or being serious. As they walked down the hall she noticed he was having some difficulty opening the box and felt a fresh stab of guilt. Wordless she took the box and opened it for him.

"Y'know, I never really thanked you. For thinking of my safety while you were the one that got shot." He'd interposed his body between her and the shooter before dragging them both to the floor. She hadn't really been in any danger, but Oz hadn't known that and it was the thought that counted.

"Ooo, yeah, please don't. I don't do thanks," he told her as Willow handed him the opened box. "I get all red. Have to bail. It's not pretty."

Willow smiled. "Well, then forget that thing. Especially with the part where you took a bullet for me."

Oz must have gotten uncomfortable because he started to look for a distraction. And found it in the box of animal crackers. "Oh, look! Monkey! And he has a little hat. And little pants."

"Yeah, I see!" She couldn't help but smile a little wider at his antics. 'I wonder if he's on any kind of pain meds.'

"The monkey's the only cookie animal that gets to wear clothes, you know that?" And then Oz switched subjects again. "You have the sweetest smile I've ever seen."

That brought Willow up short. 'He's flirting with me! He's interested in me!' That was a first. Maria didn't really count because Willow's rampant powers had quite a bit of say in that one. 'Figures I finally get a boy to notice me when I find out I'm actually interested in girls.'

_"I wasn't aware it's an either/or proposition,"_ Siffy remarked. Willow didn't really know how to answer it, she wasn't very knowledgeable on all this. _"The real question you should ask yourself is if you like him? Or at least want to have some fun with him!"_ the mystical jewelry teased.

Oz wasn't aware of the by-play as he went on. "So, I'm wondering, do the other cookie animals feel sorta ripped? Like, is the hippo going, "Hey, man, where are my pants? I have my hippo dignity!"

Willow couldn't help but laugh. 'He's certainly funny.'

"And you know the monkey's just," and the guitarist switched to a fake French accent, "I mock you with my monkey pants!"

_"And he's not bad on the eyes either,"_ Siffy prompted.

'I suppose,' Willow agreed slowly. And he was really, he really did look attractive in his own way. 'Argh, this is ridiculous. I'm supposed to learn how to read other people's emotions but I can't even figure out my own! First I liked guys, then I suddenly had eyes for girls and now I'm getting interested in a boy again. What's going on?'

_"So because you found out you liked chocolate ice-cream, you thought you didn't like vanilla ice-cream anymore?"_

'Are you comparing people to ice cream? It can't be that simple.'

_"And why not? Just like ice cream, people come in all kinds of flavors and colors. You found this new flavor that you liked, great for you. And maybe most of the flavors you like are going to be girls, could be. That doesn't exclude every flavor of guy or that you think this particular one looks tasty enough to try,"_ Siffy ended with a purr.

'Stop it,' Willow pleaded as blood started to rush to her cheeks. 'You're starting to sound like how Buffy describes Mjöllnir acting.'

_"Oh, please. Mjöllnir is just a pervert, trust me. I, on the other hand, am a hedonist!"_ she countered proudly. _"But if it makes you feel better, we'll delve into all this during meditation tonight before we try the free sample."_

"Siffy!" Willow accidentally said out loud earning her an inquisitive look from Oz. "I meant, silly! You're silly, but in a good way. So, all monkeys are French?"

***

'Aha, there she is.' Xander felt a grim sort of victory at finding the elusive Cordelia. He'd spent most of the school day looking for her but she almost seemed to be avoiding him. He could imagine the need, he wasn't looking forward to this meeting either. But when she immediately turned and walked the other way, Xander didn't just let her. Running around her, he stopped her. "We need to talk."

Cordelia didn't say anything, but while she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, she did come along into an empty classroom. He looked back and forth down the hall to make sure no one saw them going in together and then closed the door. Xander didn't want anybody to find out what happened.

For a few moments they're both quiet, standing a good distance apart while they fidgeted with their arms. "Okay, uh-uh-uh... here's the deal," Xander started. "We don't have to run every time we see each other in the hall."

"Right. Okay. Why shouldn't we run?" Cordelia asked and again, Xander understood the sentiment. But that way laid suspicion and awkward questions by his friends.

"What happened, there's a total explanation for it," he said instead.

"You're a pervert?"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Me?"

"Yeah!" Cordelia shot back.

"No-no-no-no!" He retorted taking a step towards her. "I seem to recall I was the jumpee, my friend!" Exactly!

Cordelia now advanced towards him too "As if! You've probably been planning this for months!"

"Right, I hired a Latvian bug man to kill Buffy so I could kiss you. Because slicing up a heap of bugs right in front of you really turns you on. It's so obvious!" He obviously had to point out the obvious to this paranoid girl. "I hate to burst your bubble, but you don't inspire me to spring for a dinner over at Bucky's Fondue Hut."

"Fine! Whatever," Cordelia dismissed him and started to leave, but then she stepped back. "You know, the point is: don't try it again!"

Xander couldn't believe his ears. Hadn't he already gone over this? "I didn't try it!" Taking a deep breath, he tried to be clearer. "Forget about the bugs, okay? The memory of your lips on mine makes my blood run cold."

"If you dare breathe a word of this..." She threatened coming closer for emphasis.

"Like I want anyone to know!"

"Then it's erased!" She shrieked practically into his face.

Xander wouldn't back down now. "Never happened!"

"Good!"

"Good!" Xander repeated.

But Cordelia just had to have the last word. "Good!"

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and then grabbed each other in a mad, passionate kiss. 'Good thing I closed the door,' he managed to recall before his brain stopped working all together.

**Silver Mound Cemetery**

'Is it really that simple?' Buffy wondered again, as she patrolled the cemetery. Her mind was still spinning from Giles' explanation, half of which she hadn't gotten anyway. It had started with catalyst and after that the terms had gotten even more technical as Giles delved into some serious magical theory. At least, Buffy was pretty sure it was magical theory.

But the bottom line was that Buffy hadn't been a slayer since the Master killed her. She still had the powers of one because, well, becoming the Slayer awakened the powers and they wouldn't go back to sleep simply because you died. So maybe she could have called herself a slayer then, since it really made no difference. Or she didn't think it did, anyway. But when she died her destiny was done, over, finished. She'd been free as a bird, but she'd still gone out and fought vampires every night.

And then Mjöllnir had come along and she stopped being human altogether. 'And that's the real rub,' she concluded. 'I wasn't normal, but I was human. Now, now I don't really know what I am. No longer fated to have a short, brutal live but what does it mean when you're no longer the same species as your mom? Is she still my mother?'

_"Okay, going overboard there, don't you think? You're really blowing this all up out of proportion. You're still you, just a dif-"_

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!" Buffy practically screamed at the end. "I'm not me, I changed. And I didn't have any say in it, nobody ever asked if I wanted this!" Breathing hard, her ears caught someone drawling the word "okay" in a soft voice. Her eyes shot to the left, catching the sight of a vampire in ratty clothes slowly backing away.

Noticing he'd been spotted, the demon turned around and started to run with Buffy hot on his heels. In moments, she'd caught up with him but instead of tackling or yanking him to a stop, she gave the vampire a shove. The extra momentum sent the bloodsucker skidding over the grass until a gravestone stopped him.

"Why do I still have to do this?" Buffy asked. The vampire had managed to scramble to his hands and knees when Buffy got to him again. "If I'm no Slayer?" Kicking him in the stomach sent him flying upwards, then she started to swing her arm in a backhanded stroke summoning Mjöllnir on the way. "No duty!"

Bones cracked and snapped as she caught the demon in the torso launching the now whimpering body up and away. This time a tree stopped the vampire's flight, but it had no strength left to even try and stand up. "No destiny," Buffy she told the vampire as she stalked to where it was lying. "Why am I still doing this?"

Finally noticing there was no fight left in the demon, Buffy finished it quickly. Mjöllnir's axe-head sliced through the vampire's neck like it was butter, turning it to dust. "Who am I?" Buffy asked the universe as she watched the dust settle into the grass.

**Bilskirnir**

Glowing stones illuminated a large hall of wood so ancient they looked petrified. Or perhaps they were stone to begin with and carved to resemble wood. No carpet or rugs decorated the smooth stone floor. A raised platform held a stone throne, its every surface covered in runes. On each side of the throne was a tripod holding a bowl containing a roaring fire, which had no apparent source of fuel.

In all this ancient vastness, the five figures that were present in that hall looked almost insignificant. Until one took a closer look. Three stood in front of the throne and none could be mistaken for human. The fourth stood to the side between the three and the throne and he could only be thought of as human. The last individual sat on the throne, his features hidden by a cowl except for two golden horns that jut forward before sweeping back over the figures covered head.

"They are young," the enthroned figure croaked.

"But each more than capable of defeating a young Aesir still new to his power," the human-seeming individual assured. "They have accepted the mission to prove themselves to you."

The hidden figure was silent for a moment. "I will not speak of what you already know. You now have the opportunity to make good the failures of your ancestors, my Children. I have no need for reports on failure. Succeed or die, those are your options."

The figure leaned forward, its hands propped up on the armrests. "And keep your focus on your true target. The other galdra-vél are of secondary importance. What I truly want, what shall grant you a place among the generals of my host, is Thor's legacy. Mjöllnir, and this Buffy Summers' head!"

As one, the three before the throne bowed. "It shall be done, Lord Loki," the woman in the middle said.

_TO BE CONTINUED_

_Author's Note: In Norse mythology Bilskirnir, Old Norse for lightning-crack, is the hall of Thor. The hall is supposed to be the greatest of buildings in Asgard with 540 rooms._

_Of course, in my story the mythology is simply a distorted version of how things were once upon a time. The situation has since evolved and really, where else would Loki reside if he had the choice?_


	15. What's Going On?

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**What's going on?**

**Sunnydale High**

"Buffy, I think that's quite enough," Giles told the blond trying to get her to stop. She and Xander were sparring, well, sparring wasn't the right word for what he'd just seen. The boy had gotten the basics down and was showing steady progress but Buffy still outclassed him in skill and power. Even knowing how to fall didn't cushion the blows he'd received during this practice bout.

"Why?" Buffy asked him, turning her back on Xander who was slowly getting back up. "First you're complaining I'm neglecting my training and now that I am training you want me to stop. Can you make up your mind, please?"

Frowning at the tone, Giles tried his best to sound conciliatory. "These spars are as much for Xander's benefit as yours, Buffy. And you didn't seem to be very focused, since you put a little too much force behind your attacks for what is a friendly mock-fight."

The blond wasn't placated though. "I was totally focused on fighting Xander. And I didn't hit him any harder than he could take. Right?" She directed at Xander who was still wincing with every breath.

"I'm fine, Giles. The Buffster just tenderized me a little."

Shooting the boy a concerned look, Giles tried again. "Buffy, the idea of this spar was to hone your defensive skills as well as your offensive. Yours and Xander's. Not to use him as a punching bag." Giles could bite his own tongue after saying that. It was true, Xander had been smacked around more than anything else, but it wasn't very diplomatic. And that was exactly what was called for now. It was obvious Buffy's state of mind was… upset.

"They shouldn't be doing this anyway. I'm the one that supposed to fight demons, not Xander! And I'll train for that the way I think is best because it's my life on the line, not yours. It's always been my life!" And with those words his charge stormed out of the library.

Giles watched her go as Xander called after her. When the boy made to actually go after her, Giles spoke up. "Xander, don't."

"But Giles…"

"No, she… There are matters here you aren't aware of and until Buffy sees fit to inform you of them, I'm afraid there's nothing you can do." Seeing Xander's reluctance, Giles switched subjects. "Why don't you perform that kata I showed you last week. Let's see how far you can get before making a mistake… You have been practicing it, haven't you?"

There was some grumbling and prevaricating but eventually Xander moved to the center of the library where there was enough room. As he watched the boy start, Gungnir gave his own advice. _"For all her protests to the contrary, it seems Buffy considered being the Slayer as a very big part of her identity."_

'Apparently so, but she's always been so much more than that.'

_"Yes, but she's changed. She's changed a great deal, in her mind. She's no longer a slayer, but she is an Aesir. Actually less normal than before and no longer destined to live a short, hard life. Now she is free to follow her own path and a potentially very long one at that,"_ Gungnir mused.

Giles frowned thoughtfully. 'That sounds more like she should be happy.'

_"It should, and that is the reason she's afraid."_

'What?' Giles was so surprised he actually turned to the web surfing cane swaying on the seat of one of the chairs.

_"She afraid of accepting the freedom,"_ Gungnir clarified. _"She's afraid for the moment when she has accepted she has choices and opportunities now, and then find out it was a lie. That, at least, is my theory."_

**Five Days Later**

"Xander, I think something's wrong with Buffy," Willow confided to her friend across the table. They were sitting in the lounge in their free period without Buffy. She had Contemporary American Heroes from Ms. Moran right now. "The way she hacked Ted to pieces…"

"Will, let's keep some perspective here. Ted was an evil, evil serial-killing robot," Xander retorted.

"You're just bitter he fooled you with his cooking," Willow told him with a small smile. They'd figured out Ted wasn't human in a few minutes, but after tasting his mini pizzas Xander had argued strongly that he couldn't be evil. Making something that tasty was impossible without a pure heart, so Xander had argued.

And he still believed it, apparently. "Well, cooking does tell you everything you need to know about a person. And after tasting that mini pizza I should have known he was a perversion of all the laws of man and nature!"

Of course, Xander hadn't. Not until they'd followed the android home and found he kept several past wives in the closet had the male Aesir come around. A quick call to the police had ensured Mrs. Summers wouldn't find out about the more bizarre aspects of her boyfriend. Serial killer on the run from the police wasn't normal, but it didn't come straight out of science fiction either.

Willow steered the conversation back to Buffy. "She still didn't have to chop him up into so many pieces and there's another thing, she hasn't used any other weapon but Mjöllnir ever since Kendra left."

"You're just bitter there isn't more left of Ted to study," Xander joked but there was a thoughtful look on his face. "Learn how to build your own serial killer."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to learn stuff," Willow shot back. "And I don't see how you can be so pooh-pooh about Buffy's behavior. You're the one she's been using as a punching bag."

Xander shrugged. "It's not that bad and its teaching me stuff too."

"Yeah, how to get beat up," Willow grumbled. Why couldn't he see that something was going on here? Why was he refusing to acknowledge Buffy needed help?

"Listen," Xander sighed, "don't think I haven't noticed the Buffinator has been off lately, ever since the other slayer came to town. It's no mystery why, either. Seeing Kendra she got a reminder of what the Master did to her." He grew quiet, probably remembering finding Buffy face-down in that pool. "She died, Willow. And it wasn't really all that long ago. She might have thought she was passed it, but Kendra was a fresh reminder she died. Once she's got it out of her system, she'll be back to normal," Xander predicted.

It sounded very plausible, yet Willow felt it wasn't the right explanation. Buffy had seemed fine after seeing Kendra off, the change in behavior hadn't become apparent until a day or two after now that she thought back on it. She tried to grasp for another piece of evidence. "Well, well, what about her clothes!"

"What about them?"

"She's been dressing darker and-and edgier. I mean, last night when we took out Ted she was wearing leather pants! Tight ones that seemed to be sprayed on and that were just hugging her…ehm…" she trailed off as she realized she'd gotten hung up on the view.

Xander was looking at her like she was the one acting strangely. The denial was already on the tip of her tongue, something to distract her best male friend from the way she'd gotten worked up over her best female friend's posterior.

Siffy's voice stalled her. _"Part of the process of learning to recognize and accept what your own feelings are, is sharing them with your friends. You haven't lied to him yet about this, why start now? Just take a breath and be honest."_

'Easy for you to say,' Willow thought back. Of course, she probably was right. 'No, there's no "probably" about it. Siffy knows how this works and I trust her.' Taking a deep breath Willow took the plunge. "You-you know about my training to become an empath?" Xander nodded but Willow didn't actually need confirmation. She had told him a few things about it. "Well, one of the feelings I found I had, was… You remember Maria?"

He frowned in thought, the he tentatively tried, "From the frat party? The girl you danced so much with?"

"Yeah, her. I didn't dance with her because I picked that desire up from someone else. I wanted to dance with her. I-I like girls, Xander." Saying those words felt like a mountain had fallen of her shoulders. She felt light like a feather.

"YOU LIKE G-" Xander finally remembered they were in a public place before speaking that last word. "Girls?" he whispered.

Not trusting her voice right now, she just nodded. "That's, eh, that's…wow! So, huh, are we supposed to compare notes on women now?"

She shrugged. "I think that's a little too weird for right now. I'm still figuring things out and now there's this guy…"

"A guy? But didn't you just tell me you were gay?"

Willow nodded. "He's nice and I like him." She sighed heavily. "I…I just don't label well, I suppose. Right now, I've seen quite a few girls that I… kiss-like but I also met tw- a guy that I date-liked."

"Ah," Xander said trying to sound like he understood. And only partially succeeding. "So, uhm, what do you want to do about Buffy?"

"Confront her," she supplied without hesitation. "If we can get her to talk, to tell us what's wrong then we can help her."

"Makes sense," Xander agreed. "Unless, of course, she just laughs and tells us nothing's wrong. That could be embarrassing. But I'll back you up."

***

It was dark in the utility closet, but the two in it preferred it that way. "Have you noticed anything off about Buffy?" Xander asked Cordelia interrupting their make-out session.

"When isn't there something off about her," Cordelia replied before resuming their kissing.

Xander kissed her right back, for a few moments. Then the questions his conversation with Willow had raised started to niggle again. "I'm serious! She's been skipping training and when she does come in, she's sloppy. And arguing with Giles."

Cordelia looked at him. "Buffy this, Buffy that. Are you here for me or do you want to go out and find Buffy?"

"Hey, I have a friend who's in trouble. I'm concerned for her, I worry about her. These are normal, human emotions people feel when their friends have a problem."

Cordelia humphed. "I have feelings too. Like disbelief I'm here, kissing you." She looked him up and down.

"Well, I can cure that right now." Xander made a move towards the door.

"Fine!" Cordelia moved at the same time causing their bodies to rub up against each other. Their eyes locked and they stopped. For a moment the two held that pose, then they grabbed each other and started to kiss again.

***

"Buffy, we've been noticing you seem… angry a lot lately?" Willow started. She and Xander had managed to catch the Slayer on the lawn in front of the school. Behind the redhead, Xander nodded along.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked seeming genuinely surprised.

"Well… Take Ted, for example."

Buffy's expression turned wary. "What about Ted?"

"He was bad," Willow quickly agreed. "Evil, but you had him with your first or maybe second swing. Instead, you kept pounding it 'till he was in a thousand pieces. I think you only stopped because he was so scattered around you had to look for a big enough pile."

The blond planted her hands on her hips and leaned forward a bit. "Let me get this straight. You're complaining that I didn't take chances with the serial-killing robot that was going to make my mom wife number five?"

"What about Xander?! Or that vampire we found on patrol two nights ago? You played with him before you dusted him. Were they threatening your mom too?"

"That vampire, Wills, was looking to feed. He's been doing that every night since he crawled out of his grave. Excuse me, if I wasn't gentle during my slaying. And if Xander hasn't figured out this is not a game, then maybe he shouldn't play."

"Hey," Xander now broke in.

But Buffy wasn't finished. "Killing demons is my job, my duty. For you two its a hobby, you can stop! But guess what? I can't! I can't ever stop, it just goes on and on. That's my future, my destiny. Fighting and killing till I get killed, again. So don't tell me to take it easy, to lighten up. The Slayer…" Buffy blinked and seemed unsure how to continue. "The Slayer… she can't…. I can't do this," she told Willow and Xander before turning around and running away.

"That didn't go so well," Willow summed up.

"I think we need to talk to Giles," Xander added. Willow agreed, they needed help. Because Buffy clearly needed help.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	16. The Choosing One

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**The Choosing One**

**Willy's Bar**

Looking over the crowded bar, Willy felt like things were finally going his way again. Business had been down lately as the Slayer kept killing his customers. But they'd started to wise up and instead of roaming the streets they came to his place to get their O-neg. Best of all, the last of the bruises he'd gotten thanks to the Slayer and her pet-vampire had healed.

'Yes, things are going great!' he thought as he looked over to see what new customer was coming down the stairs. When he saw who was entering, it made his good mood congeal into an ugly lump in his stomach. It was the Slayer, and she wasn't looking happy. 'Not during happy hour!' he wailed.

The buzz in the room died down as more of the patrons noticed what the bar-owner had. The scraping of chairs over the floor was the last sound that filled the room before it got really quiet. The Slayer came to a stop and looked his clientele over, but didn't say a word.

Hoping to diffuse the situation, he called out to her. "What can I get for the Slayer?"

Apparently, that was exactly the wrong thing to say. Not because of how the girl reacted but because not all of the demons in the bar had figured out what she was. Something that looked like a cross between a goat and a monkey had been eyeing the human-looking girl curiously, but that expression changed when he heard Willy's greeting.

It woofed something that sounded like "Slayer" and then it launched itself at the blond. What happened next explained to Willy why he'd lost so many regulars. There was a moment the Slayer just looked at the hairy, horned demon leaping towards her. The next she was swinging some kind of big war hammer she'd produced out of thin air. She knocked her attacker out of the air and into the wall opposite the bar, knocking down anyone that hadn't ducked down fast enough. 'Oh great, like a Slayer isn't bad news already. Now she's got a magical weapon too!'

The literally bone-breaking impact told Willy he'd just lost another customer. Worse the luck, this set off everybody else. Willy was just a regular human so he couldn't exactly follow what happened next beyond the general idea. And that idea was "get the Slayer."

A group of about four vampires were the first to get to her and the first to die. Moving even faster than anything else in the room, the Slayer waded into the brawl. As the floor got covered in dust, Willy started to be grateful most of the customers tonight could be cleaned up with a vacuum cleaner. A demon sailing towards him brought him back to the dangerous situation he was way too close to.

The purple-skinned monster impacted the shelves behind the bar about two feet away from him producing a big racket as wood and glass broke and shattered. Willy had seen enough and ducked under the bar. Thuds and thumps interspersed with the unearthly screams with which vampires tended to leave this earthly coil kept filling the bar minute after minute.

And then suddenly it was all over, it was quiet. Waiting a few more seconds to make sure it was over, Willy peeked over the counter only to come face to face with the Slayer who was about to hop up on to a barstool. Her hammer was nowhere to be seen again but she was still wearing that same look she had when she came in.

Standing up, he tried to act like he wasn't pissing his pants. "Geez, Slayer, couldn't you come in when the bar ain't full to ask me questions?"

"Not here to ask anything, Willy. Now get me a bottle," she answered curtly.

Willy couldn't really wrap his head around that statement for some reason. "A bottle of what?"

Looking at him like he was an idiot, she explained. "Something alcoholic, the strongest you got."

Feeling like he was on more familiar grounds now, he gained some confidence. "Let's see some I.D., no alcohol for minors."

"You want to see my I.D.?" the Slayer asked sweetly before laying that big hammer on the bar. Once again, Willy had no idea from where she'd pulled it. "Want to get a closer look?"

His eyes involuntarily slid over the hammer, then down to the purple demon behind the bar that might be unconscious or dying and finally they glided over the rest of the bar. 'Hey, there ain't that much real damage,' came the idle thought. The apprehension rose a little higher as Willy recalled how full the bar had been when the little blond had entered.

His gaze returning to Buffy he noticed she was breathing a little quicker, but otherwise didn't have a scratch on her. Not looking anywhere now, he just grabbed a bottle from the shelf and plunked it on the bar in the vicinity of the Slayer after which he got real busy cleaning the counter with a rag. He ignored the sound of the girl opening the bottle and starting to drink from it.

And didn't look back up until he heard her put the bottle down. "Yuck." The bottle was half-empty and the Slayer was making a face at it. Not even bothering to look at him or saying goodbye, the blond hopped off the stool and stalked out of the bar, her hammer nowhere in sight.

Taking stock of his now empty establishment, Willy knew what he had to do. "They got to pay for their drinks in advance from now on."

**Angel's apartment**

Angel grimaced as he moved to answer the door. It had been more than a week since he'd been tied up, tortured and then used as a sacrifice to bring Drusilla back to full health and he still hadn't recovered. Opening the door he was confronted by, "Buffy!" Standing aside he watched as she walked in.

The blond had carried him here after rescuing him from Spike and had helped to bandage his wounds. She'd also come to check-up the day after, but since then she'd staid away for the most part. And now here she was, looking… 'Is that alcohol I smell on her?'

He closed the door and cautiously approached Buffy who was just standing in the middle of the room. "Buffy?" Angel laid a hand on her shoulder and she took a deep breath. 'That's still there,' he noted sadly. 'Those senses of hers are getting between us and I'm seeing no sign it's going away.'

Any further thought was forestalled by the blond's actions. She whipped around and caught his head between her hands before attacking his lips. 'Definitely the taste of alcohol.' He wasn't worried more than a little about that, people started to drink at younger than sixteen back in his day. And Buffy was supposed to have this resistance to poisons and drugs now, so he knew she wasn't drunk.

The kiss went on, Angel barely even noticing Buffy was pushing him back. Until he hit the bed with the back of his knees and he fell down onto it, his girlfriend following him down after she'd removed her jacket. "Buffy…" he gasped when her mouth dipped to nip at his neck. 'Something's off,' he vaguely thought.

That vague thought became a certainty when the Slayer gripped his shirt and ripped it off. "Buffy!" he protested but it was ignored. Her hands started to roam south and for a moment Angel was tempted to just go along. He loved her and she loved him, he was sure, so why not? 'But this isn't love,' a pesky voice informed him as Buffy's hands started to work his belt.

"Buffy, stop," he told her. The blond just moved her lips back to his mouth, stealing his non-existent breath. But he had found his resolve. He pulled away, his hands gaining a firm grip on Buffy's upper arms. "I said, stop!"

This time, Buffy did. "What?" she asked breathing hard. "Don't you want me?"

"Not like this…. Buffy, what's wrong? Why are you acting…like this?"

With a snarl, Buffy got up and backed a few paces away. "First, I had these instincts I was struggling with and you wanted to know what was wrong, you wanted me to get a handle on them. And now that I have, it's "Buffy, this is wrong!". I'm not the one that's going hot and cold here."

"That's not fair," Angel told her as he got back up in a sitting position. "I'm just worried. Your behavior is a little strange. You've been drinking and…"

Buffy's laughter interrupted him. "Oh, now you're saying I can't drink too. You treat me like a child, or The Slayer, or a difficult date. When are you going to treat me as a woman? Or are you reserving that for Cordelia?" she finished with venom dripping from her voice.

"Cordelia?! What does she have to do with this? Buffy, what's gotten into you?"

Another laugh, this time accompanied by her hands nestling into her hair. Suddenly, Buffy looked younger than the sixteen she really was. "Gotten into me? You could say that, or maybe it's what's gotten out?" she said in a puzzled voice. "And why should you care? You obviously have decided you don't want me. Well, I don't need you!"

Before Angel could say anything, Buffy had retrieved her jacket and was already running out of his apartment. Looking around, he wondered what had happened. 'Something is going on and since Buffy won't talk, I'll just have to find the answers elsewhere,' he concluded. 'But first,' he thought as he looked down, 'I need a new shirt.'

**Radcliff Park**

_"I love a rampage as much as the next war hammer, but when you start bedding undead fiends, that's the moment I have to say enough!"_

Hearing Mjöllnir's voice Buffy stopped running through the park. Willing the hammer to her hand she lifted him up so she could look at the weapon. "Don't you start too! I thought you'd be happy with my new lifestyle! I'm killing demons by the boatload, drinking and I was about to satisfy that perverted streak of yours too. All in one night!"

_"You… I see, I see. Buffy, this isn't about me. This is about what kind of life you want."_

Buffy gave a mocking laugh. "Oh, well that's real nice of you to worry about. But it might have meant something if you'd started before, oh I don't know, YOU DECIDED TO TURN ME INTO THIS!"

The hammer was quiet for a moment. _"Buffy, being an Aesir gives you options, it doesn't take them away."_

"Oh, really," she snorted. "What would you do if I wanted to join a convent and never fight again?"

_"I'll nag,"_ Mjöllnir responded dryly eliciting a bark of genuinely amused laughter from Buffy. _"But nothing is stopping you. Aesir don't have destinies or sacred duties and all that crap. They have their own heart, their principles and that is what guides them. You are no different, now."_

"Am I really?" the blond asked in a small voice. "Because here I am, still with a freaky life battling demons every night."

Mjöllnir made something like a sigh. Which was really odd to hear when it was happening inside your own mind. _"Have you ever wondered why I picked you?"_

"Because I was the Slayer," she offered.

_"Wasn't even a factor. I chose you, Buffy Summers, because of who you are. You're a warrior, becoming the Slayer only revealed that. But modern society seems to have little use for them so you blamed all that on the Slayer. You were wrong."_

"And we're back to the fighting and the drinking and the bedding," Buffy concluded.

_"No, we're not. I've been prodding you to enjoy life and you won't find out what you like until you try living. As for the fighting, that too was your choice. Be honest, you enjoy the fight, the struggle."_

"So now I'm some fight-junkie, looking for my next fix?"

The feeling Buffy was now getting was the equivalent of a suffering look. She shifted her weight. _"Still not listening. And I'm not explaining it well. You are a warrior, but there are several kinds and the fight-junkie kind is one of them. But it isn't what you are. You, Buffy, are the kind that protects. You're the kind that has to fight for something, who can't be satisfied by fighting alone. You want to fight, but you want to win too. Because losing means other people die."_

"Oh," Buffy said as she started to blush. That was all very flattering, but it also couldn't be true. 'I'm just an ex-cheerleader, someone who was as self-absorbed as Cordelia and probably a little stupider.'

_"And then you grew up,"_ Mjöllnir pointed out. _"That's who you were, and that's what it'll always be. Something you were. Now, you're Buffy Summers, protector of Sunnydale, wielder of the magnificent Me."_

'Be still my heart,' Buffy thought.

_"And there's the Buffy we all love. Now, have we finally found some peace or do you want to get drunk and try this again in the morning."_

'I, I, I think so, a little. I'm still not sure what I want to do with my life,' she pondered.

_"Ah, but you have centuries to figure it all out! In the mean time, however, I believe there are people who are worried about you and may want some reassurance you're better now. And an apology."_

Buffy's eyes widened. "Oh my god, Angel. The guys! Giles! I've been a bitch to them all week!" The initial horror passed. 'The things I said! How do you take that back, how do you say sorry?'

_"You could give the vampire a lap dance, but I think that would just stir some awkward memories for him." _Buffy's face grew hot as Mjöllnir's laughter filled her mind.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	17. Taking Your Time

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Taking your Time**

**Sunnydale High**

Giles surveyed the worried people lounging around in the library, waiting for Buffy. When Xander and Willow had come to him yesterday with their concerns, he had already resolved to try and have quiet talk with Buffy today. And then, late last night, Angel had visited him at home. The man had been very tight-lipped about the exact details of what had happened, but the gist was that he was very worried about Buffy's behavior too.

It had prompted Giles to go out and make sure his charge was alright. He didn't call her home because he felt it would only aggravate matters if Buffy felt he was keeping tabs on her. So he'd gone and done a quick patrol, which was how he found out about Buffy's visit to Willy's.

The librarian had been relieved to hear she had walked away without injury, but the incident still worried him. Buffy had gone looking for a fight; a fight where the odds, numerically speaking, were against her. And the fact that she won that fight easily was a testament to the frankly awesome power his charge now wielded. A power that they all now possessed, potentially.

But the incident had clinched it, something had to be done. That was why even Angel was in the library right now, waiting for Buffy. Who came in just then and came to a dead stop just inside the library when it registered on her that the whole gang was assembled there and were looking at her.

"Hey guys," Buffy greeted them with a tentative smile before resuming her walk towards the table. Giles noted the change in behavior compared to what she'd been exhibiting for the last week, but steeled his resolve to hold the talk they had all agreed needed to be had.

"Hello, Buffy," Giles started. "Your friends and your, uhm, Angel have all approached me yesterday with certain worries about your recent behavior. Worries that I, ah, find myself sharing."

Buffy opened her mouth, but Giles forestalled her. "Please, let me finish. I know you have reasons, the news you received last week was a shock to me, and I can only imagine what the information meant for you. I haven't told them, I respect your right to do so yourself when you choose to."

Again, Buffy looked like she wanted to say something but there still were a few points Giles wished to make before things devolved into an argument. "But driving the people that care about you away while you come to terms with it, can scarcely help you. If you need some time alone, you merely have to say so and we will respect that. But perhaps what you do need isn't isolation but someone to talk with about this. My door is always open to you, because no matter what happens I will always be your Watcher."

And that was all he could say, really, without giving away what his charge clearly didn't want her friends to know yet. Bracing for the angry defensiveness he expected, he was surprised to be greeted by a mildly amused smile. "Thank you, but I already had a talk with Mjöllnir. He can be really… insightful when he wants to be."

She turned to address everybody. "I'm glad you're all here, that saves time. I want… I've been a bitch lately and I'm sorry I put you all through that." She bit her lip. "I know saying sorry isn't really good enough, you guys deserve more than that from me. You deserve an explanation..."

_"Interesting, I never knew Mjöllnir to be such an effective speaker,"_ Gungnir mused.

Giles simply watched as Buffy unloaded. "Where to start? Well, after Kendra you all knew a new Slayer was called after I died. What I didn't know, and what Giles found out after Kendra came by, was that I… I'm not a slayer anymore."

"What?" Xander and Angel exclaimed simultaneously.

Giles said nothing, it was obvious Buffy needed to explain this in her own words. "I probably am getting this wrong, but… I stopped being the Slayer when I died. A new one was called, like it's supposed to work. But thanks to you two, I came back. I still had the powers of a slayer because apparently those can't disappear once your Chosen. So I was effectively a slayer…"

Buffy fell silent for a minute. "That changed when I got Mjöllnir, I changed. Giles found out that because I became an Aesir, I couldn't be a slayer. It doesn't work like that, only a human can be a slayer and I stopped being that when I got Mjöllnir. And that's what's been eating at me…" She trailed off.

"That is essentially correct," Giles spoke up when nobody else did. "And I don't require an apology, Buffy. I knew you had good reason to be off balance. I was only concerned whether you were coping. I'm relieved to hear that you now are. And my offer stands, if you need another set of ears to listen." Seeing the answering smile on Buffy's face lightened his heart immensely. He had his Slayer back.

**Willow's house**

"Are you sure this is the way you want to start practicing sensing the emotions of other people, Wills?" Buffy asked her as they sat across from each other on the redhead's bed. It was in the evening but Buffy had no plans of going out to patrol tonight. She'd done enough damage to the nightlife in the last week that it should keep its head down for a few more days even if she didn't patrol.

Willow nodded in the affirmative. "I am. You-You said some pretty hurtful things, Buffy. And I know you didn't mean them, I do. But…" How to say this?

"But you can't help but wonder if maybe I said them because I was thinking them. That maybe I think there's a core of truth there," Buffy finished for her.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Hey, now. I'm the one that's supposed to be sorry," Buffy teased. She straightened out. "Okay, what do I do?"

"Nothing, but I need a little time to prepare. You know, find my center and all. In time, hopefully, I can just do this with a thought but right now… If everything goes alright, you won't feel a thing."

Buffy nodded she'd understood and after seeing that, Willow closed her eyes and began preparing like Siffy had taught her. A moment later she was there in her own mind, looking at her emotions. It was a very strange sensation, not in the least because she wasn't actually looking. The word feeling came closest but at the same time didn't actually describe it.

That was because she wasn't experiencing those emotions the same time she was observing them. Being objective about something you subjectively experience could be headache inducing. Willow knew, she'd experienced plenty of them in the beginning.

'Good thing I'm past that,' she considered. 'Okay, let's start.' Before she could find out what Buffy was feeling, Willow had to make sure what she was feeling. The first emotion she was feeling at the moment was worry. Willow was worried if she would succeed, worried that she would screw up somehow. But there was confidence there too, confidence in Siffy and in her training.

The redhead moved on to the emotions she held for her friend. Friendship, simple and strong, loomed over all the others there. Trust that was a little scuffed by Buffy's words rested at its feet. Worry that Buffy had meant those hurtful words at least a little nibbling on both. And hidden by all that was a small feature of attraction, the recognition that Buffy was a beautiful girl and that Willow was aware of it. Shackled to that was a stern resolve to never even hint at it to her best friend.

The entirety of her mental landscape was far larger, of course. A complex web of emotions on a variety of subjects and people, but most were not active in this intimate setting here in the safety of her room. 'Almost forgot safety,' Willow berated herself. Observing it all for a moment longer, she thought she had a good handle on it.

So Willow started to do what she'd only practiced before. She extended her mind, a little piece of it, towards Buffy. It seemed to travel as fast as a snail but in reality it connected in an instant. Willow gasped involuntarily when she touched Buffy, momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer otherness and brightness, the tendril of thought recoiled.

"What?" Buffy asked with concern.

"Nothing," Willow answered absentmindedly. "Got a surprise, first time I've actually seen another's emotions…" She didn't even hear Buffy's "Oh," she was too busy reaching for Buffy again.

This time, Willow was prepared for that first shock of contact. A shiver ran through her at the near physical sensation of pleasure she felt as she beheld her friend's mind. The redhead hadn't even begun distinguishing its individual components or anything beyond that this was Buffy, truly Buffy.

_"It's that bond of friendship, of mutual trust."_ Siffy's explanation ghosted through her thoughts. _"Strangers or enemies will give you some resistance to such intrusion. And be careful not to become addicted to this, I would hate to lose you so soon."_

A thrill of fear ran through her at hearing that but Willow quickly got on top of that. Accepting the genuine concern for her own safety before it could knock her out of her center. Concentrating on what she was getting from Buffy, she started cataloging what exactly she was feeling from her. There was boredom, curiosity, apprehension, worry… The list went on, but Willow couldn't make out more than what it was. Why Buffy felt bored, Willow could guess but the emotion gave no hint she could tell.

'Guess there's a lot more involved than just knowing how to access someone's emotions,' Willow mused.

_"Of course there is. Right now you are an untrained observer. You can tell some general things, but the subtle hints that tell you more escape you. "_

'Better start training then,' Willow thought back. "Buffy, could you try and think of me? Just me?"

The blond's emotions whirled around, threatening to disorient Willow. And make her feel very dizzy. A few moments later they settled down, right when Buffy said, "Sure."

Like a ripple in a pond that left still water behind, Buffy's emotions became more uniform, the whole less complex. Like in her own mind, Buffy's feelings for her seemed to be dominated by friendship. Trust and worry were features there too, but a big pile of guilt sat right beside them. And there was something else there, Willow wasn't feeling. It was protectiveness, a blazing resolve to protect her friend.

Something threaded through that web of emotions, something that drew Willow's attention towards. It was curiosity, or at least she thought it was. Trying to get a better look, the redhead focused her mind on that one emotion. She tried to come closer, to pull it to her so she could…

Now Willow and Buffy both gasped. Willow, because she felt Buffy's curiosity connect with one of her own emotions, like it was trying to satisfy itself. It only touched that small feature for a moment, but Willow had no idea what it meant. Worry and embarrassment roared through her and the redhead didn't even fight it when she lost the connection.

Opening her eyes she was just in time to see Buffy comb a hand through her hair. "Did you just check me out?"

"Did I do what?" Willow repeated barely believing the question.

Buffy shook her head. "Sorry, I just… I had the oddest feeling you were checking me out just now. The feeling just popped into my head all of a sudden. Right around the time you got startled the second time, actually."

"Oh," Willow said lamely as her cheeks began to redden. "It's just, ehm, really…" Her mind desperately sought for something to say and then it clicked. The reason why Buffy's curiosity had jumped on that particular emotion. "Why are you curious about me liking girls?"

Buffy's eyebrows rose up as she now started to blush too. "How did you…? Oh, right. There's a good explanation for that…"

Willow's own embarrassment wasn't letting up, it just increased. 'At least she doesn't look down on me,' she consoled herself. It didn't help lessen the awkwardness of the situation though. 'I should have asked Giles to be my training-partner instead. It couldn't possible have gone worse than this.'

**Restfield Cemetery**

"So everything is fine between me and Willow again," Buffy finished as she and Angel "patrolled" the cemetery. And they were, once they'd gotten past that awkwardness that had reared its head when the blond had found out that Willow liking girls included the awareness Buffy was one.

_"Nicely put,"_ Mjöllnir complimented._ "But would it have killed you if you did some experimenting yourself? You know, to satisfy your curiosity?"_

'I don't think of Willow that way!' Buffy protested as her cheeks heated up. 'Nor any other girl for that matter. I'm just curious how it works, for Willow.'

_"And so, once again, I'm deprived of some hot girl-on-girl action by my cruel mistress,"_ Mjöllnir lamented.

'And don't call me mistress! I know exactly what kind you're thinking of, you pervert.'

_"Eh, I wasn't actually. Not until you brought it up. So who has the dirty mind now, huh?"_

"But how are you feeling?" Buffy said out loud not to escape the argument she suspected she was losing.

"I'm almost at full strength now," Angel told her. He flexed his right hand where she could see it. "Hole in my hand has closed up too."

"Good," Buffy said before falling silent. For a few moments, everything was quiet as neither knew how to proceed. Finally, Buffy took the plunge. "I'm sorry I-I lead you on. Practically jumped your bones…" Embarrassment paralyzed her tongue, preventing her from going any further.

"It's alright, you were hurting, and you stopped when I told you too. I knew that wasn't how you wanted your first time to go…"

"God, no," was Buffy's heartfelt agreement. "Not that I don't want you to be my first, but…" A fresh batch of embarrassment threatened to rob her from her speech. The blond persevered. "Not like that, not now."

Buffy detected a hint of disappointment in Angel's next words. "You still haven't overcome those new instincts, have you?"

"No, sorry. When we-When I-I mean, that night I still felt it but it seemed somehow fitting. Not a healthy attitude," Buffy sighed.

"No, no it isn't. And maybe…" Angel stopped and looked into the night. Then he faced Buffy again and directed a soft smile at her. "But I can wait, I got time."

Buffy returned the smile. "We got time," she corrected.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	18. It's My Party

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**It's My Party!**

**The Factory**

"I have your package." Dalton held the irregular wooden box up so everyone could see.

"Just put it on the table... near the other gifts," Spike told him as Drusilla wheeled him towards it. It gnawed at him that he couldn't even do that properly, but his left arm was still broken in a few places and therefore pretty useless. "Are you dead set on this, pet? Wouldn't you rather have your party in Vienna?" 'Or any place that wasn't here.'

He didn't remember anything after the spine-shattering crash, but Spike knew the Slayer had thrown something absurdly heavy at him. Coupled with how the little bitch's friends had made short work of his minions it was clear they all had gotten some upgrades. Spike actually liked it when his victim fought back, made the spot of violence last longer. But he was starting to suspect he wouldn't stand a chance even when he wasn't in a wheelchair.

"But the invitations are sent," Drusilla objected.

"Yeah. It's just I've had it with this place. Nothing ever comes off like it's supposed to."

Drusilla leaned in and put her hands on his chest. "My gatherings are always perfect. Remember Spain?" Ah, Spain. "Hey... The bulls?" she asked as she crouched next to him. Drusilla started to walk her fingers up his functioning arm.

"I remember, sweet." Did he ever. But he still had a bad feeling and he was worried about Dru. That mob in Prague had done a real number on her and he didn't want to see her in that condition again. "But Sunnydale's cursed for us. Angel and the Slayer seen to that."

His love just shushed him before whispering into his ear. "I've got good games for everyone. You'll see."

Walking over to the table, Drusilla inspected the roses and other red flowers that had been woven into the high backs of the chairs. "These flowers... are wrong. They're all... wrong!" With a frown, Spike watched as Drusilla started to moan. "I can't abide them!" She screamed as she began ripping the flowers to shreds.

Trying to calm her down, he spoke up using his most soothing tone of voice. "Let's try something different with the flowers then."

Relieved, Spike watched her calm down a bit and then move over to the boxes on the table. "Can I open one? Can I?" Spike smiled at her, and she smiled back. "Can I? Ooo..."

"Just a peek, love." Excitedly, Drusilla reached for the latch on one of them. That brought his anxiety right back up to the level it had been. "They're for the party," he reminded her as he awkwardly wheeled himself over to her. But Drusilla still lifted up the lid and looked inside. Resigning himself to his love's desire to open the present before the party, he asked, "Do you like it, baby?"

"It reeks of death," she told him in wonder. Sighing, his love kneeled in front of Spike. "This will be the best party ever."

Indeed it would. Spike might not be able to take care of the Slayer, the Judge would. He would burn everybody in this town to ashes. And he and Dru would get front row seats to the event. But was that how Drusilla saw it? "Why is that?" he asked her for that reason.

"Because..." she began as she stood back up and leaned toward the box. "It will be the last," she finished before slamming the lid shut.

Spike didn't say anything, too surprised by that announcement. He'd counted on the Judge to lay waste to Sunnydale and maybe so much as half LA before the government wised up and moved in. Because really, if a bunch of humans armed with swords and bows could take this fellow down, how much trouble would the Judge be for the National Guard?

Another thought hit him. 'Is she talking about THE last party, or our last party?'

**Sunnydale High**

'Another fine day in the only school that really is a part of hell,' Xander mused as he walked into the lounge.

"Oh, good morning," Giles greeted him from behind. When he was close enough, he quietly inquired, "Is everything in order for the party?"

Giles was of course speaking of Buffy's birthday party that was going to be held the next day. "Absolutely," he assured the librarian. "You ready to get down, you funky party weasel?" But Giles didn't rise to the bait, too occupied with the sight of Miss Calendar and Buffy coming down the stairs.

"Here comes Buffy," he warned Xander. "Now remember: discretion is the better part of valor."

"You could've just said, 'shh!' God, are all you Brits such drama queens?" And then Buffy was there, preventing any more talk of the surprise party. "Buffy, I feel a pre-birthday spanking coming on."

"I'd curb that impulse if I were you, Xander," Miss Calendar informed him as they all took seats at a table.

Xander spoke into his shirt, "Check, cancel spanking."

"Yes, well," Giles started looking somewhat uncomfortable. "Leaving any, ah, pre-birthday, ahem, celebrations aside, I wanted to talk to you about foregoing patrolling for tomorrow. We can fill in while you enjoy your birthday."

"But… that's really nice but that's really not necessary guys," Buffy told them. "Besides, what if Drusilla and Spike survived?"

'Those two,' Xander thought with an internal grimace. The problem with vampires was that you couldn't be sure they were dead unless they turned to dust right in front of you. "Then we'll deal with them, Buff. Not the only superhero around these parts anymore, remember? And we're not planning on patrolling alone either," he assured the blond.

"Indeed," Giles agreed. "While it would be a… problematic state of affairs if Drusilla has indeed survived, so far we have not heard anything one way or the other on her or Spike's survival."

"Again, so many words!" Xander lamented. "Couldn't you just say, 'we'd be in trouble'?" And they would be. Even with their new status as Aesir, Spike had managed to get what he wanted. And if he was still around, he'd survived the encounter too.

Giles gave him a look. "Go to class, Xander."

"Gone," he said immediately as he got up. He started to walk away but then stopped. He knew how to milk this joke further. "Notice the economy of phrasing: "gone." Simple. Direct." He pointed at Giles and then he really left.

***

'And then there are the situations were there simply aren't enough words in the English language,' Xander reflected as they sat in the library waiting for Buffy. Giles was in his office so they had to keep their voices down if they didn't want him to hear. "So, let me get this straight. First you tell me you like girls, but now you want to bring a date to Buffy's birthday party? A male-date. No judging here," he assured her when he saw Willow's face fall. "Just, I think I need more explanation. Is Oz secretly a girl? You can tell me, my lips will be sealed and I have a pretty open mind."

"No," Willow shook her head. "Oz is a guy, it's…. I don't know how this happened. I was just feeling a little guilty about getting him shot and we got talking! He's so nice, funny, and interesting too. He feels so nice…"

"Let's not get into too much detail here," Xander quickly interjected. This was starting to sound like something she should be telling Buffy about. Of course, Willow couldn't without giving away the surprise of the surprise party. "Wait, you felt him up?"

His friend's cheeks reddened noticeably. "Nooo! I meant his mind, his emotions. They're very… Solid, soothing even."

"Oh, that's…" Xander frowned as something hit him. "You've been reading his emotions? You're that far along? Have you been peeking at mine too?"

A proud smile banished all embarrassment from Willow's features. "Just Buffy and Oz, but he doesn't know I did that. It was a test to see if I could do it on the fly and looks like I can! Pretty soon I'll be ready to read someone else's emotions whenever I want to and after that, sensing the emotions of more than one person at a time!"

He couldn't help but feel relief at that. If she'd picked up something from him or Cordelia… Xander had no idea how his best friend would react. "So, that, uhm, Oz. Do you want to date him?"

Willow exhaled slowly. "I don't know, maybe. It just doesn't seem to matter to me that he is a guy. I just…. I like him, a lot. Almost like a good friend except I'm wondering how it would be if I kissed him-"

"And too much information again." Xander had to shake his head. Their weapons seemed to have jinxed them on the romantic front. Only he and Giles had managed to escape so far. 'Unless sorta dating Cordelia could be counted as problematic romance.' Xander mulled that over. 'Damn, guess G-man's the only that dodged that bullet.'

"Sorry," his friend apologized. "Sif says I should just enjoy and let things work themselves out but… I mean, I've never even dated before and… I'm just confused."

Nodding sagely, Xander didn't respond right away. "I got that. But to be honest, I think Sif's right. We're Aesir now and that means we get a lot of time to figure things out. Right now, you have an interest in Oz. Well, go find out where that takes you. Cautiously," he couldn't help but add. She was his friend and he knew teenage guys, he was one after all.

The entrance of the birthday-girl prevented any further talk. "Hey! It's the woman of the hour."

"It's Happy Birthday Buffy!" Willow chimed in as Buffy shot them both a happy smile.

"Thanks guys. You know, I have a good feeling about this."

**The Bronze**

Again, Buffy wondered what was so important that Miss Calendar had to pick her up for. The teacher had said she hadn't asked, which was a little strange. Even odder was that they seemed to be going to the Bronze instead of school or Giles' home. "Are we going to the Bronze?"

"I'm not sure," Jenny replied. "Giles gave me an address. I'm just following his directions."

'Maybe they encountered something on patrol and they want me to give a hand?' the blond speculated. They rounded a corner, and Buffy noticed three vampires near a parked truck with a fourth behind the wheel. "Great, vampires. Stop the car, this will be over in a sec."

Miss Calendar didn't respond right away but she did stop. "Okay, we're almost there anyway."

Getting out of the car, two of the demons react by jumping of the truck bed while another walked across the loading dock. Getting as far as the truck's cab, she finally got a good look of the fourth vampire. "Every time I see you, you're stealing something." She remarked to the glasses-wearing vampire who was carrying a large wooden box now. Ignoring his answering growl, she went on. "You really should speak with someone about this klepto issue."

The klepto-vampire didn't speak up, instead the truck's engine started. The Aesir turned and reached for the door handle while the demon with the box began to make a hasty escape. The truck door swung open before Buffy could reach it, hitting her and forcing her several steps back before the blond managed to regain her balance

The other two vampires had now reached her, and with the third vampire who had now jumped out of the cabin joining them, began to attack her. "Sorry guys, normally I would love to play but I got places to be tonight." With those words, Buffy summoned Mjöllnir to her hand to block the first punch.

With a yell, the vampire retrieved his fist obviously in some pain. Not breaking stride, Buffy batted the kick from the second vampire to the side before severing its head from the rest of his body on the backstroke. The third was not deterred by what he'd seen so far and came in with a flying kick that managed to connect.

More surprised than hurt, Buffy took a step back. But not surprised enough to be blindsided by the first demon who tried a kick too. Ducking under it, the blond swung her hammer at the leg her opponent was standing on. With a crunch, Mjöllnir crumpled its knee bringing the vampire down screaming.

Not slowing down, Buffy flowed into a mule-kick that caught the third vampire in the stomach right when he was ready to deliver a hammerblow down on her crouching form. The kick launched the demon up and away, before coming to a jarring stop against the truck. Buffy stood up and began to advance on the recovering vampire, almost casually decapitating the downed demon on the way.

From the corner of her eyes, she noticed the bespectacled vampire lifting the box onto the back of the truck. 'What is in that box? And why isn't he running away?' Buffy wondered. Turning her attention back to the last vampire, she was just in time to see him running away from her towards the other vampire.

"Hey!" The blond shouted and began pursuing the cowardly demon. "We're not finished!" The fleeing vampire seemingly ignored her, the other most certainly didn't. Looking up at the sound of her voice, his eyes got almost comically wide at seeing her coming towards her. He just left everything behind and ran away.

Buffy ignored him in favor of the other vampire who had just jumped onto the loading dock and was now looking from side to side to decide which way he would go. Buffy was still a little ways away but she thought she could make it from here.

Putting as much force in her legs as she could, she launched herself at her remaining enemy. Buffy had a moment to realize she'd underestimated just how strong she'd gotten and then she collided with the demon. That wasn't enough to bring her to a stop, though, and both now flew on and through a boarded-up window. That was enough to bring them to a rough landing amidst pieces of wood.

Buffy rolled off the vampire before scrambling up. Beside her, her opponent did the same but unlike her he wasn't carrying a weapon. Hooking the hammerhead behind his head, Buffy pulled the demon towards her and met him with her knee. The vampire doubled-over, but was forced to straighten out again a moment later by the butt-end of Mjöllnir impacting his chin. Having maneuvered the demon's neck into the perfect position, Buffy finished the fight.

As the dust of the vampire settled onto the floor, Cordelia's loud voice broke through the silence. "Surprise!"

Whirling around, Buffy noticed she had an audience for her last dusting. Giles, Xander, Cordelia, Angel, Willow and Oz were all there. Belatedly she also noticed the balloons and other decorations.

But none of them looked her way, they were all too busy shooting Cordelia incredulous looks. Oz was the first to say something. "That pretty much sums it up."

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	19. Surprise

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Surprise**

**The Bronze**

Buffy hopped down from the stage and was met by Angel almost before her feet touched the ground. "Buffy, are you okay?"

Giles was right behind the souled vampire and chimed in with his own question. "Yes. W-what happened?"

"Uh, there were these vamps outside," Buffy pointed out the window still looking around. "They were stealing, or making a delivery, I don't know. More importantly, what's going on here?"

"Oh, um... A surprise party," Giles answered and he proceeded to actually blow on a party favor. Cordelia took this as a signal to wish her a happy birthday but Buffy was still stuck on Giles tooting a party favor.

Buffy gave them all a befuddled smile and couldn't help but ask, "You guys did all this for me? That is so sweet."

"You sure you're okay?" Angel tried again.

Buffy assured him she was but her attention was drawn to Oz, the one person who didn't know about the supernatural. So far he seemed very calm for having his entire world-view turned upside down. 'And once again, I manage to expose my secret identity to practical strangers,' Buffy sighed.

But it seemed Oz was finally over that initial shock. "Hey, did everybody see that guy just turn to dust?"

The question left Willow scrambling for an explanation but Xander took a more laid-back approach. "Yep. Vampires are real. A lot of them live in Sunnydale." He gestured at Willow before walking to Cordelia. "Willow will fill you in."

"I know it's hard to accept at first," Willow started cautiously.

Oz's response was, however, the one Buffy had never heard before. "Actually, it explains a lot."

Before she could ask what exactly the guitarist was talking about, Jenny came in carrying the box the vampires had been after. "Hey, can somebody give me a hand here?" Giles came forward right away and took the box from her. As the librarian set it on the table, Jenny explained, "Those creeps left this behind."

"I noticed that one vamp with the glasses carrying it around," Buffy remarked as she took the box in. She noted it was irregularly shaped, both in dimensions and in its surfaces. "What is it?"

"I have no idea," Giles explained helpfully. But I believe there is a release right here," he pointed out and Buffy came closer to see what was inside as her Watcher worked the latch. The lid swung open to reveal an arm clad in armor.

"I'm guessing, this didn't belong to an organ-donor," Buffy quipped as she looked over at Giles in disgust. The words had barely left her lips when the arm rose up by itself and grabbed the blond by the throat. 'Why the hell is everything going for my throat?' Buffy asked herself as the hand began to squeeze. 'Stronger than the assassin,' the blond estimated.

For a few seconds, all Buffy could do was struggle with the limb. Then Angel was there and with his help, they managed to pull it off. Her boyfriend wasted no time to stuff it back into the box while Buffy massaged her neck. Giles slammed the lid shut as soon as the arm was back in the box.

Xander wasted no time to fill the following silence with a pun. "Well, clearly the Hellmouth's answer to "what do you get the Aesir who has everything?"

Giles was more concerned. "Good heavens. Buffy, are you all right?"

"Yeah, that thing had major grip but I'm alright."

"W-what was that?" Willow wondered.

"It looked like an arm," Oz helpfully supplied.

Angel was still staring at the box. "It can't be. She wouldn't."

"What is it, a vamp's version of "Snakes in a Can", or would you care to share?" Xander prodded.

But he simply kept looking at the box. Buffy said his name, trying to get him to open up and tell what had him so freaked. That did the trick. "It-it's a legend... way before my time... of a demon brought forth to rid the Earth of the plague of humanity... separate the righteous from the wicked... and to burn the righteous down. They call him the Judge."

_"Never heard of him, must have been after my time,"_ Mjöllnir commented.

Giles, however, did seem to know what Angel was talking about. "The Judge? This is he?"

"Not all of him," Angel pointed out what was pretty obvious even to her.

Still, Buffy had faced demons before that wanted to get rid of people all together. That wasn't new and the fact that this demon obviously had 'some assembly required' issues these days meant it couldn't be that scary, right? Raising her hand to get their attention, she asked for a little clarification. "Um, still needing back-story here, people"

"Um..." Giles started. "He couldn't be killed, according to all the accounts. An army was sent against him. Most of them died... but while they obviously managed to dismember him, they could not kill him."

Angel took over. "The pieces were scattered... buried in every corner of the Earth."

"And now all these parts are being brought here," Miss Calendar concluded.

"By Drusilla," Buffy added. "The vamps outside were Spike's men."

Angel nodded. "She's just crazy enough to do it. To reassemble the Judge, and bring forth Armageddon."

Before that ominous statement had the chance to really be absorbed by everybody, Cordelia piped up. "Is anybody else gonna have cake?" With nobody answering her, except to look somewhat incredulously at her, she shrugged and went to the pool table.

Giles got back to the crisis at hand. "We need to get this out of town."

"I'll do it," Angel volunteered.

Buffy couldn't believe her ears. "What?"

"He's right," Miss Calendar said. She turned to Angel. "You're the only one that can protect this thing."

The blond wasn't so convinced about that. "What about me?"

_"Yeah, what about us?"_

"What, you're just gonna skip town for a few months?" The teacher's tone of voice told her what she thought of that idea.

"Months?" Surely it wouldn't take that long to get it somewhere other than here. Just how far was Miss Calendar thinking this arm had to go?

Angel, it seemed, was thinking along the same lines as Miss Calendar. "She's right. I gotta get this to the remotest region possible."

"But that's not months, is it?" Buffy asked Angel looking up into his eyes.

He didn't look very happy either. "I gotta catch a cargo ship to Asia, maybe trek to Nepal..."

'Okay, that would take a while,' Buffy conceded. But why the heck would Angel take the slow option? "You know, those newfangled flying machines really are much safer than they used to be."

"I can't fly. There's no sure way to guard against the daylight," Angel explained and Buffy could almost smack herself in the head. It wasn't like she'd forgotten he was a vampire.

_"And there's the second way you can prove you're really blond now,"_ Mjöllnir teased. Buffy very deliberately ignored that comment.

Angel continued, "I-I-I don't like this any more than you do, Buffy. But there's no other choice."

Buffy looked down for a moment as resignation set in. Looking up again, she asked a question she kind off already knew the answer to. "When?"

And Angel didn't surprise her. "Tonight. As soon as possible."

"But it's my birthday," Buffy muttered morosely.

Miss Calendar joined them. "I'll drive you to the docks." Having said that, the teacher turned to Buffy. "You should come to, use the ride to say goodbye."

Not trusting her voice just right then, Buffy just nodded leaving her friends with her birthday cake. It's seventeen candles were still burning merrily when Buffy left.

***

Willow looked on sadly as Buffy and Angel followed Miss Calendar out of the Bronze. 'Couldn't this have waited just one day?' She wondered. The redhead wasn't referring to Angel leaving specifically, though. No, she was thinking more of the Hellmouth throwing out its latest surprise.

"So," Oz started drawing Willow's attention back to him. "Is the crisis averted or should I still worry?"

"Hmm?" Willow frowned, 'what was he talking ab- Oh! Right, the Judge thing.' She nodded. "Yes, Angel and Buffy between them will get the arm out of town and that should be that."

"Yeah, Buffy. Is she a superhero, 'cause there was that hammer and the vampire?"

"Oh, that, yeah, uhm," Willow stumbled as she tried to figure out where to start, what was important and what wasn't. "That's a long story…"

Unfortunately, Cordelia had heard her. "Buffy was the superhero first, but then she, Willow, Giles and Xander of all people got these things that turned them into gods. Which really isn't fair, if there's anybody whose youth and talent should be preserved well into the next millennium it's me. Instead the dork-patrol becomes our school's ambassadors to the 22th century, they'll think we were all as uncool as them in this century!"

"Thanks, Cordelia," Willow told her with a glare. Telling Oz about her circumstances was something she'd been planning on approaching very carefully, after he'd had a chance to get used to the supernatural. She'd had the speech all written out, she'd been prepared dammit!

Cordelia didn't seem to notice the redhead's lack of sincerity. "You're welcome. Honestly, I don't know why it's a long story. It's not like Buffy is the Slayer anymore so… Hey, why is Angel afraid of sunlight?"

"Because he's a vampire," Xander sounded out the explanation.

Cordelia's eyes went comically wide. "Oh God, I invited him into my car! Now he can come into my car whenever he wants to!"

"Yes, now you're doomed to give him a lift whenever he feels like it. And he'll never chip in for gas." Xander rolled his eyes. "Relax, Angel's… harmless. Got cursed by gypsies with a soul and now he doesn't run with the other vamps anymore."

"And that should make me feel safe?! He just needs to have one bad day and then it'll be all, "Better wash my worries away with a nice glass of Cordelia Chase", I just know it!"

"Probably because you caused his bad day in the first place. And getting you to shut up for once does take extreme measures," Xander shot back as he got closer to Cordelia.

"Oh, I bet you've been fantasizing about getting your hands on me!" The cheerleader started to meet Xander halfway.

"Touching you is an extreme measure, no sane person would do it in any other situation!" They were almost nose-to-nose now, then they suddenly looked at Oz and Willow who were watching them. "Uhm, looks like the party is a wash and we… I mean, I better get Cordelia here home. What, with Spike's people out and about… " Cordelia nodded at that and left after echoing Xander's goodbye.

Willow couldn't shake the feeling something was going on there, between those two, but she couldn't imagine what. They were both very open about their mutual dislike so that wasn't it. Oz's words broke her out of her musings.

"So, a goddess…" Blushing, the redhead stumbled over her own tongue trying to correct that but Oz went on before she could. "Makes sense," Oz finished causing Willow's cheeks to heat up to the point you could boil an egg on them.

**The Docks**

Buffy walked alongside Angel to the ship. With one arm occupied with carrying the box on his shoulder, Angel's other arm was wrapped around her shoulders. She leaned into him, and suppressed her instinct to tense up when he kissed her on the head. 'I can't even ignore it now, when he's about to leave me.'

Angel put the box down after they reached the gangplank. Neither said a word for a while as they simply looked into each other's eyes. At last, Angel broke the silence. "I should go the rest of the way alone." Not trusting her voice, Buffy only nodded numbly. "But I'll be back. I will," Angel told her with conviction.

"When? Six months, a year? You don't know how long it's gonna take or if we'll even..." Buffy looked away with a grimace. 'You should have had this talk on the drive here, not now when there's barely any time left,' she berated herself.

Angel gently turned her head to face him. "Hey, if we'll even what?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, someone pretty much always wants us dead. And I can't protect you if you're half a world away."

"Don't say that. I'll be fine," Angel assured her. "I've somehow managed to survive for two centuries before we met, you know."

Buffy wasn't buying it. "You weren't carrying this big bull's-eye around before, either."

"We can't know what's going to happen, Buffy. Nobody can. But I still have to go, that's just the deal." Angel reached into his pocket. "I have something for you. For your birthday. I... I was gonna give it to you earlier, but..." His voice trailed off and instead of continuing he opened the little box and showed her a ring with an intricate design.

"It's beautiful," Buffy whispered.

"My people -- before I was changed -- they exchanged this as a sign of devotion. It's a claddagh ring. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty... and the heart... Well, you know... Wear it with the heart pointing towards you. It means you belong to somebody. Like this," Angel finished as he showed her his own ring on his finger.

Buffy traced the band of metal around his finger, her heart doing all sorts of funny things. "I'm glad I got this for your birthday," Angel went on. "Considering… We won't… see each other for a… a while."

"Yeah, a while," the blond echoed.

"Here, let me put it on." He took the ring from her and slipped it onto her finger.

"I want to go with you," Buffy confessed still absorbed with looking at the ring.

"You can't, you've got school and duties here."

"And Mom would freak out if she heard I skipped off to China with my boyfriend," Buffy joked in a tear-filled voice. Having nothing left to say, they kissed. She put her arms around him, trying to impress the memory of him into her. It was easier to ignore the demon now, with his humanity so much clearer on the foreground.

After several kisses they stopped and looked at each other. "Buffy... I..." Angel was interrupted by two vampires who suddenly jumped at them from some cargo netting. One pulled Buffy off of Angel and threw her back. The other began to fight with Angel.

Rolling to her feet, Buffy easily caught the vampire's swing at her. "Do you mind? We had a moment here," she told the surprised vamp before punching him in the face. Repeatedly. After that, she let the dazed demon go and retrieved a stake from the pocket of her jacket, plunging it home as the vampire tried to see her past the bloody ruin that was his face.

_"Some quality violence always helps you get over the sappy moments,"_ Mjöllnir commented. _"But we'll need a little more than this to really get that mushy stuff out of your system."_

Meanwhile, Angel was still fighting the other vampire. They were exchanging blows and drifting away from the wooden box. That was exactly the opportunity Dalton had been waiting for. He dropped out of the cargo netting now, too, and ran over to the box. He grabbed it and started to run away.

"Angel! The box!" Buffy warned. But Angel was still busy with his opponent. He ducked a roundhouse kick, grabbed the vampire's arm and flipped him over onto his back. But before he could even start to run after Dalton, the other vampire stood up and tackled Angel to the deck.

All the while, the bespectacled vampire increased the distance between him and Angel. With a snarl, Buffy willed the hammer to her hand. She wasted no time with spinning the hammer above her head by its strap. While the Aesir had a better angle on the fleeing vampire than Angel did, the distance was larger and there were some crates in the way.

She let the vampire run a little further, until her instincts told her to release Mjöllnir. 'Now!' And she let the war hammer fly, over the water and straight through what turned out to be an empty crate before decapitating Dalton. The box, no longer supported by what was now a dust-cloud, still had some momentum which caused it to roll over the dock.

_"Oh yeah, he who flees and runs away… Gets me to the back of their skull!"_ Mjöllnir crowed.

Buffy mostly ignored the comment, though she did roll her eyes. The moment she saw the vampire turn to dust, she was off running in a straight line for the box. Calling the hammer back to her just before she jumped up and over the large stretch of water between her and the box.

The impact of her landing didn't actually splinter or even crack any planks, but it did make a sound equivalent to a gunshot. Or maybe that of a shotgun. Turning around, Buffy was just in time to see Angel finally finish of his opponent. And then they were alone again.

Walking over to her, Angel checked her for injuries but Buffy knew he wouldn't find any. He looked none the worse for wear either. Lifting the box up, she tossed it to him. "You need to go," she concluded.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	20. A Secret Revealed

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**A Secret Revealed**

**Rupert Giles Apartment**

Jenny Calendar hadn't waited after dropping Angel and Buffy off, the blond had told her she wanted to walk home and the teacher could imagine why. 'That's one hell of a birthday present.' And it gave her the time she needed to phone her uncle warning the tribe that Angel was going to Asia.

They hadn't talked about it yet, but Jenny had already prepared her case for why she should stay in Sunnydale. 'Because he'll come back,' the gypsy told her uncle Enyos in her mind.

'And how do you know this for certain?' She could imagine him asking in return. 'Well, uncle, there's this girl…' Even in her head, uncle's reaction was furious. And given what Buffy and the others had become, it would be best to head that reaction off too. The Kalderash did not need a confrontation with four modern-day Aesir.

'Especially when you're in a serious relationship with one of them,' her conscience supplied sweetly. 'A man who is quite perceptive and intelligent, so it's only a matter of time before he figures out you're not who you say you are,' that pesky voice kept on nagging as she stepped out of her car and made her way to Rupert's apartment.

'But I want to be,' went through her as the door opened for her. "Hey, it's done. Buffy wanted some space and I…I didn't feel like being alone tonight."

Giles nodded sympathetically. "Yes, I can't say this is how I hoped Buffy's birthday would end." He stepped aside to let her in, but Jenny or Janna, or whoever didn't go past him. Instead she stepped into his surprised embrace.

"Mind if I stay for… awhile," she asked him barely managing to sound coy. It came out a lot more vulnerable than she intended.

It still managed to fluster Rupert though. "Ehm, yes, of course. You're welcome to, that is, I would be happy to…" He might be the heir to Odin, he was still very much Rupert Giles.

Smiling, she cut him off. "Just kiss me already." She was happy to find he didn't hesitate with that. Worrying how she could solve this tangled mess that was her life, that could wait until tomorrow.

**The Factory**

"Nooooo, the Angel-beast is taking my present away!" Drusilla wailed clueing Spike to the fact that Dalton had failed after all.

'Bugger, there goes one of the few useful ones around here.' That was his first thought, but he didn't say that out loud. When he'd learned from Dalton that the Slayer had the last box, Spike had already begun to formulate Plan B. And it seemed they should get on with that plan.

He spared a glance for where the collection of boxes that was the incomplete Judge stood. 'Better take that with us, there must be loads of people who will pay good money for it.' Money that would come in handy to get his love her consolation gift.

"The stars are keeping more and more secrets from Miss Edith and it's all her fault!" his love cried.

Rolling up beside her he took her hand. "There, there, ducks. I know it's a disappointment but I know just the thing to make you feel better." Drusilla gave him an almost begging look with her shining eyes. Spike went on. "What we all need is a nice change of scenery, away from the Slayer and her posse. What would you say about a cruise around the world?"

Drusilla began to sway from side to side with a silly smile on her face. "No nasty mobs with pitchforks, no Angel-beast that looks like daddy and no nasty Queen trampling all the little demons. And see new stars, stars that'll talk to Miss Edith," she cooed. "Can we visit the Caribbean, Spike?"

'The Caribbean? Why would she-?' And then he made the connection. He grinned. "We'll bleed those islands dry," he promised. Turning to the gawking minions he bellowed his orders. "Alright, I want to be out of this blasted town by nightfall so start moving everything into the cars!" He pointed over at the roughly man-shaped stack of boxes. "And that includes Mr. Build-Your-Own-Demon over there."

**1630 Revello Drive**

Joyce couldn't help but check on her daughter. She'd read the books and knew raising a teenager was difficult, but she honestly had trouble keeping up with the roller coaster that was Buffy. When they'd first come to Sunnydale, it looked like Buffy was still the troubled child she'd been those last few months in LA.

Then there had been Parent-Teacher night, where she'd been almost duped by that loathsome person they put in charge of a school of all things. Joyce shook her head as she wondered what the School Board had been thinking when they hired Mr. Snyder. In any case, Buffy had allayed several worries with her conduct that night and her grades had gone steadily up afterwards.

She even looked different, she somehow seemed happier. There'd been a dip a while back but that hadn't lasted so Joyce hadn't worried. Except that Buffy had been down today too, just as she'd turned 17 and after she seemed to be looking forward to it. Specifically, the old enough to drive part.

But today at the mall she was faking her smiles and her enthusiasm for the shopping trip. 'And a Buffy that isn't cheered up by shopping is a first,' she thought. The door was open so Joyce didn't feel bad in the slightest when she peeked in.

Her daughter, dressed for bed, was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and holding a ring up. Buffy was looking at it with a sad expression while fingering that amulet she'd started to wear with the other hand. Joyce couldn't see it really well from halfway across the room but she was pretty certain the ring was new. It looked that way and the style wasn't what her daughter usually got for herself.

'Oh my,' went through her as her maternal instincts began to tingle. 'I know what's going on, boy-trouble,' she concluded. "Want to tell me about it?" Joyce asked as she slowly made her way into the room.

Buffy looked up startled and then made a move to hide the ring, only fueling Joyce's suspicions as well as starting a few fears. "Mom! Hey, ehm, talk about what?" Buffy tried lamely.

Sitting down on the bed, Joyce kept her eyes on her daughter's face. "About the boy that gave you that. I've noticed your mood today and I doubt a birthday present from Willow would have engendered that look you were wearing just now," she teased.

Then it struck the older Summers that it could, actually. She knew Buffy had dates but they'd been very sparse since they moved here and she would be around the age… 'Okay, stop it. You're overreacting now. Don't go fretting about things that you don't have any reason to fret about.' Joyce calmed down.

"Uhm," Buffy started. "It's this guy, my… You remember Angel, right? My, eh, tutor in, uh, history?"

She blinked as the memory surfaced. Yes, she remembered him. He'd been here, alone with Buffy when Joyce had come home. 'Wait, isn't he in college?' she thought with alarm. Oh sure, it was better than, say, a member of a biker gang. But still… "I remember him, he's… older than you," she tried carefully.

That seemed to amuse Buffy. "Yeah, he's a little older than me. He-he had to leave for Asia last night, for, for his study. It was all last minute so he gave me this just before he got on the boat. He's going to be gone for months, maybe even a year!"

Joyce couldn't help but frown at hearing all that. It sounded serious and also… odd. What kind of a name was Angel anyway and a trip to Asia that was going to last as much as a year? "Not a very nice birthday surprise. I take it this is serious, between you and him?"

"It's…" Buffy's face crunched up as she searched for the right description. "Complicated," she settled on. "But, uh, yeah, he's my boyfriend."

"Ah," Joyce said as she tried to navigate this treacherous conversation. Trying to interrogate her daughter about her boyfriend without sounding she was, wasn't easy. 'They should write a book about that one,' she thought. "And you've been together for a while?"

"We've been dating for a few months now," Buffy's gaze had left the ring and she was now eyeing Joyce with some suspicion.

'Darn, she's smelling something fishy is going on.' Joyce couldn't decide if that was actually a bad thing, though. Her next question was embarrassing enough and it would help if Buffy could read between the lines. "Exactly how serious?"

Buffy caught on right away. Her reply was swift and indignant. "Mom! We didn't, I mean, I haven't even really… We were still…." Taking a deep breath, Buffy went on. "It's serious, but I wasn't sure. I'm still not sure if it's going to work. So you can relax, mom."

Joyce felt some faint amusement at how her daughter shared her reluctance to use the word "sex," but it was buried under a mountain of relief. She was sure Buffy was telling the truth, her emotions on the subject had been too obvious to miss. "Good." Seeing her daughter's look at that she hastened to add, "That you want to be sure, that's very important for your first… He would be the first?" Joyce asked belatedly when she realized she didn't actually know.

Now, Buffy looked offended. "Yes, mom," she bit off.

Wisely, Joyce said nothing but simply nodded. Looking away, she casually said, "Of course, you'll bring him home so I can meet him the moment he comes back."

Buffy's "Yes, mom" was filled with suffering instead of anger this time but that just cheered Joyce up. She would have grown suspicious if Buffy had been pleased to introduce her boyfriend to her mother.

"Did we just have the Talk?" Buffy wondered.

"I," going back through the conversation Joyce realized she was right. "Part one, yes. Part two will be after I've met this Angel," she added. Seeing Buffy's expression at that certainly was heartening.

'Best to keep her on her toes,' Joyce thought. 'Then again, a year is a long time especially when you're this young. So maybe she'll pine for a few months and then they slowly break-up.' She pondered that happy scenario for a moment before pessimism ruined it. 'Or they might decide to catch up once Angel does get back, absence is supposed to make the heart grow fonder.'

"We're going to talk some more about Angel tomorrow," she warned Buffy as she got up. "Like, what is he studying that requires him to spend a year abroad at the snap of a finger. Also, what his last or first name is," she added.

"Do we have to? He's not even on the same continent right now!"

Joyce acted like she pondered that for a moment. Then she turned around and left the room as she said, "Yes, we really do."

**Restfield Cemetery**

Spike and Drusilla had been only gone for less than a week, but Chester knew he had to move in now. The first vampire to claim the spot had won half the battle of becoming the new top dog of the Hellmouth. Of course, he lacked big names in his team, even Chester himself was less than a century old.

But, as he'd told his followers, having a good team was far better than having a star or two in your line-up. His experiences in WWI had told him that, he'd said. Carefully not mentioning the fact he'd never been out of the United States and that he'd gotten turned right out of basic.

Oh well, football worked on similar principles and he did have practical experience in that. So that was why they were in the cemetery tonight. Sandy had turned the former linebacker he'd picked out as the new addition to the team last night so he would rise tonight.

Looking over at the whimpering girl Carl was holding, he nodded to himself feeling very pleased. The "Welcome to the team" present was looking fine, and it always helped if you cemented the follower's loyalty right out of the gate. 'Or the grave, as the case may be,' he joked. 'Ooh, that's a good one. Better make a note of it so I can use it later.'

Right on time, Mike Garrel began to claw his way out of his grave. Chester waited until Mike had gotten out, then approached the wary looking fledgling with a big smile. "Welcome to the winning team, Mike. And congratulations on becoming immortal of course."

"Team?" Mike asked nonplussed. He shook his head. "Why…? What's going on, I… I thought I was dying and then I woke up…" He looked back to see his own tombstone. "I just dug myself out of my own grave!"

"Yeah, most of us had to do that. It's kinda like a hazing. But you went through it and now you're in the ultimate fraternity!"

"I…" Mike licked his lips and his eyes rested on the sole human in the group. "I can hear her heartbeat, I can hear the worms in the ground, and I feel… almost weightless."

"Those first moments as a vampire are a rush, aren't they. Oh, I still remember how totally free I felt back then." Coming back from his reminiscences, Chester launched into his pitch. "But it didn't take me long to realize I still needed food, a roof over my head and some protection against predators."

"Oh?" Mike asked without taking his eyes off of the girl. He made a step towards her but Chester reacted by blocking his view.

"Yes, we can be killed and there are people who go out to hunt us every night. That's why you need to join the right team, one that can protect you and at the same time get you places. Get us all, somewhere, to the top in fact. I'm planning on running this town by month's end and of course, anybody that helped me with that will be well provided for," he finished as he stepped aside again to show him the girl once more.

Mike took the hint. "I'm so hungry I can't think straight, but… it does sound like a good opportunity. Okay, deal."

"Excellent," Chester said happily as he clapped his hands together. "Well, we've stalled you long enough. Bon Appétit!"

Mike was already halfway to the girl when two new voices drifted towards them. "I'm telling you Xander," a girl's voice said. "We need to think of something to cheer her up. She's been moping around like's Angel is dead instead of…. Gone for a really long time." A moment later the owners of the voices came around the corner of a mausoleum straight towards Chester's little gathering. "Relax, Wills. She's just down about how it happened on her birthday. They probably had this way dramatic goodbye scene too so it's only natural that she's been mopey," the boy replied. The two teens didn't stop at seeing them, but kept strolling towards them.

"Super, now we can all have a snack," Anne cheered. The rest joined her in cheering their good luck, except for Chester.

'They look familiar,' he mused. He noticed the two humans had stopped talking and were now looking very serious. There was no fear, though, and that made Chester uneasy. But he couldn't place the memory so he didn't say anything when his people all charged at the two.

He didn't join them either, one of the lessons the Great War thought him was that it was best to lead from behind the front lines. Way behind. So he contended himself with restraining the girl and shouting an order that would bring some discipline to the reckless charge his people were now engaging in. "Formation Delta!"

Pleased, he noted Mike had joined the attack and only needed a moment to see where he would best fit into the overall formation. Right behind Carl, backing him and Kevin up as they attacked the boy while Anne and Frankie tag-teamed the girl.

Both groups went with the same basic strategy, one attacked from the front while the other swooped in from the prey's left. And then they made contact with the enemy and the plan did what plans usually do in that situation, fall apart like a staked vampire.

The boy turned silver; there really wasn't any other way to put it. He stopped Carl's bumrush with a single hand then proceeded to knee Kevin in the stomach before punching Carl's lights out. It happened so fast that Carl was already down when Mike sprung into action.

What happened with the girl was even scarier. Her hair was done up in several braids and two of them just moved, on their own. Striking like cobras, Frankie and Anne were dust before Chester could blink. Mike joined those two a moment later. The silver figure was brandishing a stake, which he was now plunging home with an economy of motion.

It was over as sudden as it had begun and now Chester was facing two… things on his own. He finally recalled who those two were; they were the Slayer's friends. He'd heard they'd gotten pretty good at dusting vampires themselves but this was ridiculous. "Crap," he summed up before sparing the girl he held a single glance. 'Good thing I didn't dig in,' he thought as a plan formed. "Catch!" he shouted as he threw the girl at them before running full out in the other direction.

Some instinct told him to swerve and he did so not a moment too soon as a chopstick went through his shoulder. Chester dove over a headstone, the motion broke the slender wooden stake causing him some more pain, but he paid it no head. He was about to turn and get a mausoleum between him and those dangerous tresses when something crashed into him and dragged him through the wall of another.

With his ribcage feeling like it was pulverized, he really didn't feel the piece of wood that the silver figure slid into his heart. 'Better say your last words now,' came the random thought. "Mpha mhen shfew," he got out through his broken jaw.

***

"Xander, you went through the wall!" Willow scolded as the boy sheepishly came back out of the mausoleum. The girl that last vampire had thrown at them was safely held by her hair, but she was out cold. Apparently being caught by living hair had been just too much for her.

Xander shrugged helplessly after scratching his head in embarrassment. "He was getting away and, ehm, I didn't think the wall was that flimsy."

"It wasn't flimsy, you're just that…" Willow's voice faltered as her mind caught up with the word she was about to use. Blushing, she sought for a word that wasn't so laden. "Ehm, invulnerable."

No longer wearing his silver armor, Xander's puzzled expression was clear to see. "Right, yeah, I guess so." He looked at the rescued girl. "She looks okay, but I don't recognize her. So I suppose we'll just have to wait here until she wakes up before we can take her home."

Nodding in agreement, Willow laid the girl down. Silence reigned in the graveyard while Willow sought for something to talk about. It was only then that she recalled the oddity of what Xander had said right before they'd fought the vampires. "Wait a second, why are you suddenly so laid back about the whole Buffy and Angel thing. You're understanding and you haven't insulted Angel once since Buffy's birthday party."

"I'm just giving her space, Wills," Xander said with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "And I still don't like Angel, I just think he's earned enough brownie-points that I only insult him to his face. What he did at Buffy's birthday party was what did it for me. He put the greater good before his own, really old needs."

"Xander!"

"It's a work in progress," Xander admitted with a smile.

But this didn't distract Willow. 'The birthday party, there was something strange going on there too,' Willow remembered. 'His argument with Cordelia ended… No, it petered out. And then they left together… together?' Willow wanted to shake her head and simply forget such silliness, but her newly acquired self-honesty wouldn't let her. She'd sensed something going on between those two. "What's going on between you and Cordelia?"

The panicked look Xander gave her at hearing that question was enough to tell Willow everything. "You and Cordelia!"

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	21. Phases

_iI still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work./i_

**Phases**

**1630 Revello Drive**

"Cordelia!" Willow exclaimed as she paced around Buffy's room. She hadn't made much sense to the blond when she came in a minute or so ago. Or better said, less sense than now because now Buffy at least knew it had something do to with Cordelia. "He's dating Cordelia of all the people in the world. He's the treasurer of the "We Hate Cordelia" club and he's dating her. It's against all laws of God and Man and Nature and-and-and Cordelia!"

"Willow," Buffy broke in when the redhead gave no sign of running out of steam or words any time soon. "Breath, then maybe you could tell me who is dating Cordelia that you're so…." Buffy frowned. "Is it Oz?"

That finally brought Willow to her senses. Buffy could have done without the look her friend gave her, though.

_"Even I know she's talking about Xander,"_ Mjöllnir added.

"Xander!" Buffy exclaimed out loud. That was the last person she could see with Cordelia, the two loved to argue with each other. Some of those exchanges were epic, really. "Xander," Buffy repeated in a more normal tone of voice. "Xander and Cordelia?"

"I know," Willow said as she sat down. "I mean, it's Cordelia. And Xander," she summed up nicely, because that really said it all.

Buffy nodded along then stopped as something Willow said earlier finally registered. "Wait, there's a "We Hate Cordelia" club? Why wasn't I invited?"

Now Willow looked uncomfortable. "Well, Jessie was in charge of recruitment…" And she didn't have to say any more. Buffy hadn't gotten to know Jessie very well but he had been Willow and Xander's friend since kindergarten. They didn't talk about him around her, maybe to spare her from feeling guilty about not saving him.

Didn't really work, though, the blond still felt responsible. "Why did Xander tell you this now?"

"He didn't, I sort of guessed and he just couldn't hide it when I asked him to his face," Willow admitted. "You weren't there, because of the Judge thing, but they kind of acted odd with each other after you and Angel left. And then they left together, after coming to the party together… In hindsight it's kinda obvious, really."

"Uhm," Buffy could only say because it obviously hadn't been obvious to her. Of course, there was other stuff going on at the time. She shied away from dwelling on it again, she had a best friend that needed her… what exactly did she need? "So, how do you feel about that?" She asked Willow. It hadn't been too long ago that the redhead had a severe case of the crush on Xander. And Buffy wasn't so sure, after seeing Willow's behavior just now, that the Oz-situation signaled an end to it.

_"Shouldn't forget the whole "liking girls" confession,"_ Mjöllnir reminded her. _"I sure don't!"_

'Thank you, I hadn't,' Buffy replied. 'And also, ewwww!'

Willow, of course, wasn't aware of the by-play as she tried to come up with an answer. "I guess I feel…betrayed. I mean, why did he pick Cordelia of all women over me!"

Ah, Buffy suspected it was something like that. "We don't get to pick what the heart wants, trust me on that."

"I know," Willow sighed. "But… Cordelia!"

"To be fair," the blond found herself saying, "She's not so bad… anymore, " she added for honesty's shake.

It still produced a grimace from Willow, but she did change the subject. "I know I shouldn't be reacting like this, I said I moved on and I brought a date to your birthday party too. But he kept it hidden too, so why did he do that?"

"Because we're talking about Cordelia, Wills. Try to look at it from her perspective, the hit her standing takes if people find out she's dating one of the losers. So don't be too hasty in blaming him for not telling us." Buffy had once occupied Cordelia's position, so she knew something significant going on between the two. She very much doubted the cheerleader would have taken the chance otherwise.

_"Or maybe Xander is just that good at kissing. Passion isn't the same as romance,"_ Mjöllnir butted in.

'Ruin a girl's dreams why don't you?' Buffy bit back. However, it was just as likely. If her senses hadn't gotten so… sensitive to Angel's vampiric side the blond imagined they would have gotten more hot and heavy too. 'And don't you dare inspect those images,' she warned Mjöllnir quickly.

"I guess… Okay, you're probably right. And I'm sorry I just unloaded on you like that, I know you're still down about Angel having to leave and worrying about all the dangers he might be facing out there."

"That's," Buffy took a deep breath. "It's alright, I'm getting better actually. And getting this kind of news dumped on me helps too. The shock just drives the depression right out of your thoughts," the blond joked. "Still, are we thinking intervention here or just quiet disapproval?"

"I… I'm not sure. It's not like he doesn't have a right to date who he wants and I do want him to be happy. I think, I think I'm being a little jealous here. I was even contemplating on going to Oz's house and kissing him, just to show Xander I wasn't…" Willow broke off. "Yeah, I should definitely do some serious meditating on this."

"And I can't help you there," Buffy concluded. "Right then, simply ignoring the elephant in the room it is."

That produced a giggle from Willow. Seeing Buffy's questioning look, she explained. "You just called Cordelia an elephant."

Surprise quickly turned to mild amusement. "Guess I did." She didn't see what was so funny though. "Maybe you should go home, Wills. I think you're coming down from being, well, all high-strung."

Giving it some thought, Willow agreed and so they said their good-byes. Once she'd waved off the redhead, Buffy couldn't stop herself from saying it one more time. "Cordelia?"

**Kingman's Bluff**

The view was quite spectacular. There were few clouds to obscure the stars and below the lights of the town mimicked a small portion of the heavens. But neither occupant of the car on that bluff paid any attention to that, they were to busy studying the other's lips.

Until Xander pulled back and just had to blurt out his worries. "She's still avoiding me and Buffy is giving me odd looks too."

Cordelia just looked annoyed. "Excuse me? We didn't come here to talk about Willow and Buffy. We came here to do things I can never tell my father about because he still thinks I'm a... good girl."

"I'm just… I mean, why haven't they said anything yet. I know Willow must have told Buffy, but they haven't said a word about it, nothing. And Willow has been spending more time with this Oz too. A senior, attractive-okay, maybe not to me, but-and he's in a band. And we know what kind of element that attracts."

"I've dated lots of guys in bands," Cordelia interjected suspiciously.

Xander nodded gratefully, it was good she was seeing his point. "Thank you. So is this their subtle way to voice disapproval? Without, you know, actually using their voice."

"Do you even wanna be here?" Cordelia wondered aloud.

"I'm not running away," Xander pointed out.

Cordelia wasn't deterred. "Because when you're not babbling about poor Willow, you are raving about the all-powerful Buffy."

"I do not babble. I occasionally run-on, every now and then I yammer..."

Fel broke in. _"Will you shut up and just kiss the beautiful woman that you are completely alone with instead of yammering on about how you don't babble or rave? Get your priorities straight!"_

Cordelia's voice stopped him from thinking about just how wise those words were. "Xander?"

"Yeah?"

"Look around. We're in my daddy's car, it's just the two of us, and there is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this." Her voice grew sterner. "So shut up!" They started making out again.

'Yep, this is definitely top priority,' Xander decided after careful deliberation. Only to be drawn away from Cordelia's mouth a few moments later by the sound of rustling outside. "Did you hear that?"

Cordelia wasn't happy with the new interruption. "What is it now?"

"I thought I heard something."

"Is Willow sending out some sorta distress signal that only you can hear? Does that come with the whole Aesir-package?"

"Huh," was Xander's intelligent reply. The cheerleader's words finally registered and Xander gave her a sheepish smile in the way of apology. Then his face grew more serious as he heard more rustling. "But seriously, I think something is…"

A hairy arm with a clawed hand punched through the convertible top and Xander dropped the rest of that sentence. Cordelia screamed and made a grab for the keys. Xander opened the car door and stepped out, willing his silver skin to appear as he did so.

He only had one foot outside when he looked over to see what was on the car. He came face to face with a very hairy thing. It almost looked like a really angry monkey, really. "Where are the keys?" Cordelia screamed jolting Xander into action.

The growling thing wasn't sitting still though and jumped at him, bringing them both down to the ground. It tried to scratch and bite Xander, but had little luck getting through the armor. Xander tried to get a good hold on the creature but it was trashing too much so in the end he just settled for throwing it off.

But Xander misjudged his strength so he sent his attacker sailing into the woods and out of his sight. The sound of branches snapping and more rustling let the Aesir know he hadn't killed the thing, but instead of coming back the sounds grew fainter.

Xander relaxed just as Cordelia screamed as she gunned the car backward a ways and then slammed on the brakes. Without a second thought, Xander let the armor vanish and then jumped into the car to comfort his distraught girlfriend.

Only to get several punches to the face from the frantic cheerleader before she realized she was punching her boyfriend. "Don't do that! Is it dead?"

"Nah, just scared it off," Xander said as he touched his nose. It hadn't really hurt, but getting caught by surprise like that by Cordelia had wounded his pride. She didn't need to hear any more. Getting the car in drive, Cordelia sped away.

**Sunnydale High**

Buffy inspected the gaping hole in the roof. "And you're sure it was a werewolf?"

Xander made like he had to think about it. "Well, let's see, hairy, claws, and Fel said it was a werewolf. Um, yeah, I'm sticking with my first guess."

"Seems wise," Oz agreed.

"Oh, oh, and then there was that little thing where it tried to bite me."

"It was so awful," Cordelia lamented as she put her head on Xander's shoulder.

Buffy eyed Xander as put his arm around her in response, but said nothing. They did seem very couply. Xander comforted her. "I know."

Tearing herself away, Cordelia's next words were more in character. "Daddy just had this car detailed."

Turning around, Buffy faced Giles who had just come up with a newspaper. "So what's the word?"

"Well, it seems there were a number of other attacks by a wild dog around town." He handed the paper to Buffy as he continued. "Several animal carcasses were found mutilated."

"You mean, like bunnies and stuff?" Willow asked upset.

"Oh, don't worry. I mean, they might not look it, but bunnies can really take care of themselves," Oz assured.

Smiling, Willow nodded. "Yeah."

Giles took the paper back. "Yes, uh, fortunately, no people were injured."

"That falls into the "that's a switch" column," Buffy agreed.

"Of course, that may very well change tonight," Giles explained only to be interrupted by Buffy.

"What do you mean, tonight? I thought werewolves only came out at the full moon. And that's once a month, right?"

"Ah yes, full moon does happen once a month. Tonight's a full moon, as a matter of fact. Gungnir informed me that contrary to the accepted legend, werewolves become active three nights in a row. The night of the full moon and the night before as well as after it. Yes, he's quite well informed on the subject which has saved me from a, ah, an afternoon with my books." Giles didn't sound very happy though.

"Hey, nobody is stopping you," Buffy consoled her Watcher. "If you want to go wild and spend a frivolous afternoon with your books, I say go for it."

"Bonus points for using the word frivolous," Xander chimed in.

"Yes, well, thank you Buffy and that might be for the best anyway. Gungnir is more familiar with the European variant while we are dealing with the North-American species, judging from Xander's description."

"But a silver bullet will still kill it, right?" Xander wanted to know.

"No bullets," Giles countered. "No matter what this werewolf has done, underneath it is a human being who may very well be completely unaware of his condition. A werewolf is a creature of pure instinct. No conscience, but predatory and aggressive in the extreme."

"In other words, your typical male," Buffy couldn't help but add.

"On behalf of my gender, hey!" Xander replied. "And you could act a little offended to," he added to Oz.

The guitarist just shrugged. "Don't feel targeted," Oz simply said.

Giles tried to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Yes, let's not jump to any conclusions."

"I didn't jump," Buffy defended. "I just took a tiny step, and there conclusions were."

Giving up, Giles just summarized that they should try to capture the wolfman, or wolfwoman, tonight and take care not to get bitten before he retreated to the library. "There was no telling if their Aesir physio-something could fight off lycotropy," he warned.

Well, that was how Buffy recalled that last sentence anyway. She scrunched her face, she was pretty sure Giles meant werewolfism with that last one. 'Or did he say licoritopic?'

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	22. Twice Shy

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Twice Shy**

**Sunnydale High**

Xander and Willow were already waiting for a while in the library after a fruitless search around Kingman's Bluff when Buffy came storming in trailed by a slightly annoyed Giles. "Amateurs! That sexist jerk has the nerve to call me an amateur when I'm betting he doesn't even know vampires exist. He's just traipsing around Sunnydale without any protection and he thinks I'm the amateur!"

That little tirade certainly threw him. "Uhm, we aren't talking about the werewolf here, right?" He didn't think so, the werewolf hadn't exactly been talkative during their little struggle.

"Ah, no," Giles answered. "We came across a werewolf-hunter by the name of Caine. Apparently he hunts them for their pelts and…"

"We had wolf-boy at the Bronze when Mr. Trigger-Happy shot at it. If I hadn't yanked that chain in the way he would have killed another person right in front of me. But thanks to him, the werewolf got away so now we only have one more night to catch him and we have to make sure the Great White Hunter doesn't screw it up again."

Xander frowned at hearing that. "Wait, werewolves are people with a disease. Doesn't that make this Caine-guy a serial killer? Or a hitman, since this about money?"

Buffy nodded along but Giles tried to steer the discussion back to the werewolf. "The man's ethics are certainly questionable, but they are immaterial to the problem at hand. We must find and capture the werewolf and do so before Caine finds it and kills it. And unfortunately, his experience in hunting this type of creature far outweighs our own."

"And while we're waiting for nightfall, there's a human werewolf walking around out there, probably making fun of us," Xander complained.

"The way werewolves always do," Willow chimed in with obvious sarcasm.

"You may mock me but Giles isn't the only one that knows stuff. I'm practically an expert on the subject," he boasted.

"On account of being possessed by a hyena once?" Buffy asked.

Not thinking, Xander nodded. "I know what it's like to crave the taste of freshly killed meat, to be taken over by those uncontrollable urges."

"You said you didn't remember anything about that," Buffy reminded him with barely-held amusement.

He chuckled nervously. "I said I didn't remember anything about that." How stupid could he be that he forgot that. Bile rose up as the taste of Herbert came back. 'Now there's a memory I would have loved to forget.'

_"Oh, yuck,"_ Blácan Fel commented as he became aware of the memory too. _"You're table manners were disgusting!"_

Ignoring that, Xander forged ahead. "Look, the point is, is I have an affinity with this thing. I can get inside of its head." He closed his eyes and tried to do that. "I'm a big, bad wolf. I'm on the prowl." He sniffed. "I'm sniffing, I'm snarling, I'm a slobbering predator, I'm..." He had it! "Wait a second! It's right in front of us. It's obvious who I am. I'm Larry! The guy's practically got wolf-boy stamped on his forehead. You got the dog bite, you got the aggression, not to mention the excessive back hair."

"Still, that doesn't necessarily mean that..." Giles tried to say but Xander went on.

"I'm gonna go talk to him. Gonna force a confession out of him.," he made to leave before remembering that it was late at night and so the school was empty. And if Larry really was the werewolf he wouldn't be exactly capable of confessing right now anyway. "First thing in the morning!"

"Perhaps it's best if we cover our bases in the meantime," Giles said. "Willow, check the student files to see if anybody else fits the, ah, profile Xander has given us."

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Buffy remarked. Xander could only give her a puzzled expression as he couldn't think of what she was talking about. "We're assuming this werewolf goes to school, but we don't know that. For all we know he's a drifter or, or, it could be Willy."

"Well, I think we can discount Willy," Xander argued. "That would have been the first place that got trashed if it had been. But I get your point, still, I think a guy in his sixties is a lot less likely to survive a werewolf-attack!"

Giles mingled into the discussion. "And Caine's observation that it was attracted to, ahem, where teenagers prefer to gather would also point to the likelihood that a teenager is the most likely victim and hence, our new werewolf."

"It could still be someone going to college," Buffy pointed out reasonably. "I just don't want to get fixated… Hey, three of us saw the werewolf. We know how its werewolfy energy looks like. We don't need confessions or anything, we just need to walk around and really look at people…" She broke off, but Xander didn't pay much attention to that as Fel decided to speak up.

_"Wouldn't work, the lycanthropy only comes out when the person is transformed. It's dormant the rest of the time so that even an Aesir's senses can't detect its mystical energy."_

'Doesn't matter in my case, anyway. I didn't really take time to study it like that.,' Xander thought back. He surmised from Buffy's disappointed look that she was getting the same info from Mjöllnir.

Fel sighed. _"We really must devote some time to honing your skills with your more esoteric senses."_

'My whatsit-senses?'

The magical weapon's sigh was even heavier now. _"Your mystical senses. The ones that allow you to see things like the Hellmouth or the demon within a vampire. This should become second nature."_

'More homework!' Xander lamented. Forestalling any more argument out of Fel, he spoke up. "Alright, I guess that means we're going with my plan. Getting Larry to confess he's the werewolf."

***

Willow couldn't help but feel a little bored as they were waiting for Xander to come around with the verdict. She wasn't even working on finding other suspects anymore, she'd finished that an hour ago so now she was just surfing the net a little. So when Buffy came out of Giles' office and went over to her, Willow grasped the distraction with both hands. "So what's the scuttlebutt?" The blond asked. "Anybody besides Larry fit our werewolf profile?"

"There is one name that keeps getting spit out," Willow said while maintaining a straight a face as possible. "Aggressive behavior, run-ins with authorities, about a screenful of violent incidents."

Unfortunately, Buffy caught on right away. "Okay, most of those were not my fault. Somebody else started 'em. I was just standing up for myself."

The redhead looked up at Buffy who was now sitting on the table. "They say it's a good idea to count to ten when you're angry."

"One... Two... Three..." Buffy counted in mock-anger.

It didn't deter Willow from smiling but she decided to change the subject. "I tried to call Oz but he didn't answer." She looked back at her laptop. "I can read his emotions now, some of the time, after concentrating for a while but… I still can't figure him out! I mean, he's so hot and cold. Or luke-warm and cold."

"Welcome to the mystery that is men," the blond commiserated. "I think it goes something like, they grow body hair, they lose all ability to tell you what they really want. Even Angel hasn't outgrown it," she finished with a hint of sadness.

"It doesn't seem like a fair trade," Willow ventured carefully as put her laptop away.

She was glad to see her friend shake the sadness of with little difficulty. "Well, if you want to up the speed quotient with Oz, maybe you need to do something daring. Maybe you need to make the first move."

_"Like strapping him into your silky locks and ravage him,"_ Siffy purred suggestively. _"Or you could turn up at his door wearing nothing but me. It's supposed to have worked wonders for Godiva."_

Blushing furiously, Willow couldn't help but whisper her reply aloud out of shock. Especially because she couldn't help but feel a naughty thrill at the idea. "Won't that make me a slut?"

Buffy answered as she thought Willow was talking to her. "I think your reputation will remain intact."

The redhead was pretty sure that wouldn't have been the blond's reaction if she'd known what Siffy had proposed.

_"You are no fun. Fine, we could settle for initiating the first kiss if you must."_

'You're as oversexed as Mjöllnir!'

_"Hardly,"_ Siffy answered unruffled. _"After all, I'm not the one that gets a thrill from those ideas,"_ she finished silkily.

Her head getting even redder, she was glad for the distraction Xander's entrance gave her. "Hey, how did it go with Larry?" she greeted him only to get the most peculiar reaction.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xander asked skittishly.

"I think it's supposed to mean, 'so how'd it go with Larry'?" Buffy chimed in.

"He's not the werewolf," Xander replied as he sat down in a chair. "Can't we just leave it at that? Must you continue to push and push?"

"I'm sorry. I was just wondering," Willow told him eyeing him speculatively. Something had spooked her friend.

It only agitated the boy more. "Well, he's not."

"Okay," Buffy said carefully giving him a wary look. Xander repeated the "Okay." "But there goes our lead suspect. Which then puts us right back at square boned."

That finally brought Xander out of his weird mood. "You're not boned, you're Buffy. Eradicator of evil. Defender of, um... things that need defending."

"And you've got real side-kicks now, three of them!" Willow supplied helpfully. The look Giles gave her at hearing that, however, was not supportive. "I mean, two side-kicks and a wise mentor-figure!"

Looking bemused, Buffy thanked them. It was then that Oz came in. Willow stood up and approached him but he actually changed his path to keep some distance between them. Frowning, Willow let it slide. "Hey," she said softly.

Inclining his head, Oz did the same. "Did you, did you capture the werewolf last night?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, it got away. We almost had it at the Bronze but there's this hunter who, ehm, hunts them for their pelts and he got in the way."

"Did anybody get hurt?" He asked with an uncharacteristic amount of emotion in his voice.

"Nope, I got there in time. But we still have tonight to worry about and Xander just cleared our one suspect."

"I did nothing with Larry," Xander burst out. "I just… I got him to confess something… Can't you people just let it rest!"

After seeing the looks he was getting, he sheepishly sat down again and Buffy continued. "In any case, Larry's not the werewolf and we have no other suspects so right now, we just have to hope we catch him tonight before the hunter does."

"Right, yeah, that would be… better. I gotta go," Oz told them.

Gathering her resolve, Willow followed. "Are you okay?" she asked right outside the library.

"Yeah, sort of. It's just… it's a lot."

"It is," Willow agreed. "But we can do stuff to help. Sometimes it feels good to help." Oz made some sound of agreement but he only looked more uncomfortable. Feeling her worry grow instead of lessening; Willow decided to take more drastic measures. "Well, like... looking up stuff. I'm gonna be doing that most of the afternoon. Or be an extra pair of eyes when we're trying to find this werewolf tonight. You could help me, help together?" She finished as she began to concentrate while trying to appear like she wasn't.

"I can't. Um, uh, I'm busy. Good luck," he finished as he practically fled from her. The abrupt end of the conversation caught Willow by surprise but before her concentration broke she got a single impression from Oz's mind. One of worry, and a lot of fear.

'Is he… Is he scared of this, some delayed reaction to finding out how the world really worked?' Willow worried. Siffy remained silent, she couldn't help her with the answer to that question.

**Daniel Osbourne's Home**

Willow felt a little nervous as she knocked on Oz's door. Having spent the afternoon in a fruitless quest to find any new candidates that could be the werewolf, they were now planning on just finding and trapping the werewolf. They'd had to go home for dinner but they were supposed to gather in the library in a few minutes. She was going to be late but she had to see Oz and try to find out what was going on. '

Finally the door opened and a surprised Oz exclaimed, "Willow! What are you doing?"

Not wanting to have what might become an argument outside, she pushed her way in. _"And if it goes the other way, passersby would be so distracting,"_ Siffy couldn't help but add.

Willow ignored the comment though as she walked deeper into the house. "I don't have a lot of time, because the guys expect me in the library soon." Once she was in the dining room, she turned around to face an agitated Oz. "It's our last chance this month to catch this werewolf."

"Willow, this is not a very good time," Oz countered.

Willow wasn't having it. "I'm getting all these mixed signals from you that I don't know what to think anymore. You buy me popcorn, you're concerned about me and you even put the tag back in my shirt." A feint blush of excitement colored her cheeks at that memory. His hands on her neck had felt… very nice.

"But right after you got to go and you're all worried and fearful. And you won't kiss me or… or… ehm, cuddle." Pausing for a second to regain her breath, she asked in a small voice. "Are you, do you have trouble handling what I am after all?"

"What? No!" was Oz's startled denial.

"Well then why didn't you want to help me? Instead of helping me look stuff up you're here all alone with… chains…" she said slowly as she finally noticed what was on the dining table.

_"Ooh, kinky. You do know how to pick them."_ Siffy commented.

'I didn't know!' Willow automatically defended before she realized there was a better defense. 'And besides, there could be a perfectly non-sexual reason for him to have chains.' Her mouth, meanwhile, was continuing on autopilot. "And cuffs…"

"Willow, I'm… I didn't know how to tell you… I can't believe it…" Oz broke off his near-babble when he doubled over clutching his chest.

"Oz!" The redhead exclaimed before stepping forward with her arms extended as if to catch him. She stopped after only a few steps when Oz looked up again with eyes that were completely black and teeth that seemed to have gotten pointier.

"Willow," he grunted softly before his hair started to grow right along with his muscles. In moments his shirt was torn to shreds by the transformation and his jeans were only held together by a few stitches. A growl now escaped his lips as his hands clawed at the carpet while the transformation completed itself.

With a snarl, the werewolf leapt at Willow who's response was more trained reflex then conscious decision, she was still too shocked to think. Her hair shot out and caught the transformed Oz in mid-air, wrapping around his arms and legs and holding him there.

With more growls and snarls, the werewolf tried to break free but it was useless. Hair that had deflected a bullet proved more than impervious to mere teeth and claws. 'Not werewolf, Oz,' she corrected herself. 'Oz is the werewolf… Oz!'

_"Well, at least you know one thing for sure now," _Siffy told her in consoling tone.

'And what's that?'

_"That Oz is certain to be an animal in the bedchamber!"_

'I am really not in the mood for that right now, Siffy," Willow groaned as Oz continued to struggle.

_"I apologize, I was hoping I could lift your spirits somewhat. Being a werewolf is a curse and I know you care for him…"_

"I do," Willow said softly as she observed Oz fidgeting in his restraints. But there was something more too. She was feeling… guilty. 'Because I'm the one that got him involved in the supernatural… So I'm obviously the reason Oz…'

_"Actually, you had nothing to do with it,"_ Siffy broke in. _"Did you forget what he said the other day in gym-class? His cousin bit him, so he would have ended up like this anyway. In fact, without you he would have been in even greater trouble as he wouldn't have an idea what was going on."_

'Right, the chains…' Willow felt herself pulling out of that black swamp of self-recrimination she'd started to sink into. Instead, she was starting to feel a little dumb for forgetting about his cousin. He'd only talked about it a day ago so she should have realized what the source was right away.

'Okay, you're right. He's better off because he's got me. So let's take him to the library and lock him up,' she concluded.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	23. Queen of Hearts

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Queen of Hearts**

**Sunnydale High**

"So, how's Oz taking it?" Buffy asked as they made their way to class. It was only two days ago that Willow had come in carrying an angry werewolf in her hair. Her revelation that their werewolf was Oz had been a shock to everybody but none of them needed to see Oz turn back to normal the next morning to believe Willow. Even Oz didn't need convincing, but Buffy was pretty sure he had appreciated that they hadn't started to treat him differently.

"A little angry with his aunt because she didn't warn him beforehand," Willow explained. "They just went, "We'll let him baby-sit his cousin, sure he might bite him 'cause he's cranky but we better not warn him to be careful because he won't believe Jordy's a werewolf anyway!" I mean, who does that to their own family?!"

"To be fair, they didn't know he would believe them…" But Buffy didn't go further because Willow was right. "Still, it is kind of careless to just let somebody who doesn't know to be careful alone with a cranky, six-year old werewolf. Oh well, at least I got to run our visiting werewolf-hunter out of town."

"Oh?"

Smiling, Buffy recalled that she hadn't yet had the opportunity to tell Willow about it. "Yeah, you remember I went to find him after you brought Oz in. Well, he was huffing and puffing about how it was a free country and he had a gun when I showed him where he miscalculated."

Willow frowned now. "But it is a free country," she pointed out reasonably.

"Yeah, but he didn't have gun. Not after I turned it into its neat, new pretzel-shape."

That got a smile out of the redhead. "And that's when he left?"

"With his tail between his legs," Buffy quipped. "Too bad I couldn't do any more, but I can't just kill him and the Sunnydale police don't have anything to hold him for. Right?"

"Uhm, I don't think they do. I mean, he didn't kill anybody here that we know of and the people he did kill weren't even human at the time. Can't the Watcher's Council do something?"

"I asked Giles already," Buffy admitted. "But he says that the Council can't be bothered to go after a werewolf-hunter. In their book, he's actually doing good work because they figure that most of the werewolves he'll bag are running wild and so they're a threat to people."

"That's awful!"

Buffy nodded grimly, she'd had a few choice words for that kind of callous attitude too when Giles had explained it to her. "So… you and Oz are still on for Valentine's day?"

"Yes," Willow told her with a wide smile which she quickly suppressed once she realized what she was doing. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you and Angel… Or maybe he sent something?"

"Hmmm, doubt it. He was really worried about being tracked down. And it's okay, you're my friend so you're happiness is important to me. You shouldn't put a damper on it just because my boyfriend is on the other half of the globe. Just enjoy, you deserve it," she told her friend firmly. 'And that goes for Xander too. Even if his choice of girlfriend is even more bizarre than mine and Willow's.'

***

Cordelia walked up the steps from the street along with several other students, but none were part of her group. Those girls were actually sitting on a low wall right to the left of the actual entrance to the school. Spotting them right away, she headed over to them with a big smile.

She honestly didn't really like any of them that much, but they were hers and a necessary part of being on the top of the social elite in Sunnydale High. Still, there were some good things to look forward to. Like her sort-of divine boyfriend. Valentine was coming up and the cheerleader was sure Xander was going to come up with something that would make the holiday special. At least when you compared it with previous Valentines and the attempts of her ex-boyfriends.

'Okay, he's kind of a geek and he has the social standing of a leper but he's....' And there her thoughts faltered as it tried to sum up the complex situation that was her relationship with Xander. It wasn't just the kissing anymore, although those were still top notch. She actually found herself enjoying Xander's company. 'Doesn't mean I'm ready to let people know I'm dating him,' she confirmed again.

'I suppose it might be different if people knew he was like a superman now, except I would have to spend way too much time deflating his ego all the time if that happens.' Cordelia shook off that thought when the Cordettes didn't greet her, but instead chose to ignore her and even got up together to walk away.

"Wait up," Cordelia said but it fell on deaf ears. "Hey, wait up!" she ordered as she started to jog to catch up. "Excuse me! Where's the fire sale?"

The sight of them all stopping and turning around to face her in concert sent alarm bells ringing in Cordelia's well developed social instincts. She smelled rebellion. Harmony was of course the spokesperson. The girl had a lot of ambition and little brains. She was also a follower at heart which meant she wouldn't have come up with this on her own, the rest had to agree with whatever the blond was about to say. "Oh, sorry. Didn't see you."

Ignoring the blatant lie, Cordelia probed a little further. "Well, why didn't you call me back last night? We need to talk about our outfits for the dance. I'm gonna wear red and black," she told them then pointed to Kate, "so you need to switch."

Kate's sneer was bad enough, but her words almost gave Cordelia a panic attack. "Red and black? Is that what Xander likes?"

Still, she managed to act innocent. "Xander? What does he have to do with this?"

"Well, a girl wants to look good for her geek," Harmony quipped with far too much glee.

Cordelia had this sudden urge to punch her in the face and see how she liked that, but shook the impulse easily. 'You're spending way too much time around Buffy and her friends if you're starting to think like little Miss Violent,' came the inane thought. But underneath that distraction, her mind was going a mile a minute as she tried to answer an important question. 'How do they know?"

For a second she considered the possibility that Buffy or Willow had blabbed, possibly just to score some points on her or maybe because they disapproved of her and Xander... But she discarded that explanation swiftly. It wasn't their style and Xander was their friend. They wouldn't get the whole school involved in something they considered private.

She couldn't imagine Xander bragging about her in the locker room, there was no way. He was... He just wouldn't do that, so that really left only one explanation. 'I wasn't careful enough,' she thought morosely. 'They must have spotted us coming out of the closet, or going in, or maybe it was that little scene at her car a few days ago after Oz ripped up the roof.'

All of that went through her mind in so little time that her disapproving following didn't even notice the minute pause between the end of Harmony's jibe and Cordelia's denial. The only problem was that it wasn't heartfelt and her tone of voice betrayed her feeling. "Xander's just..."

Harmony interrupted her. "When are you two gonna start wearing cute little matching outfits? 'Cause I'm planning to vomit." Addressing the others now, she said, "Let's go." They all turned away and headed into the building, leaving Cordelia behind with a single thought going through her mind.

'What do I do?'

**The Bronze**

Xander took a last look at the heart-shaped locket he'd bought for Cordelia. He was starting to feel a little bit of dread. 'What if she doesn't like it?' he worried. After all, while it had cost him quite a bit of money, that same amount would have been nothing more than a day's allowance for the girl he was going to give it to.

_"She'll like it,"_ Fel assured him. _"It's perfectly thoughtful and tasteful, trust me, she'll be so happy she might even let other people start to know you two are dating."_ Now Fel sounded slightly miffed.

'And I told you I don't care about that,' Xander retorted as he put the locket back into its little box. 'I don't care about appearances that much.'

_"Says the guy dating the head cheerleader,"_ Fel teased. _"And before that, had an instant crush on Buffy just after seeing her. Oh, you care about the packaging."_

Xander couldn't help but agree, but had no intention of actually giving ground. 'Yeah, but that's about attraction. Cordelia's more than just beautiful and the same goes for Buffy, that's why... I don't care what others think or know.'

_"Very well, at least you let me pick something decent to wear for once."_

'Hey, my regular clothes aren't that bad,' he thought back as he adjusted his suit. The deafening silence Fel greeted that statement with was almost enough to make Xander reconsider that. But he forgot all about it when he spotted Cordelia sitting alone at a table wearing... 'Wow.'

Walking slowly over to her he's almost beside her when she noticed him coming. She stood up to meet him as Oz's band finished their song. "Hey." That was the only thing he managed to get out with her so close and looking so fantastic.

Cordelia, in turn, looked him over as well and her words were quite good to hear. "Your clothes... You look so good."

He looked down at himself. "Oh. I let Fel dress me." Seeing her confused look he clarified, "Well, not physically. He just advised."

But the look he now got from Cordelia was not the one he had been hoping for. She looked upset. "Perfect. You had to make this harder, didn't you?"

"Okay, clearly the fact that I please you visually has got us off on the wrong foot here," he joked hoping to get the mood back to something more pleasant.

Cordelia only looked more pained. "Xander..."

Xander stopped her with a gesture. Only now did he realize he hadn't actually thought on what he was going to say, but he knew what he wanted to communicate. They both sat down before he started. "Let me finish. I've been thinking a lot about us lately... the why and the wherefore. You know, once, twice, a kissy here, a kissy there. And you can chalk it all up to hormones."

Seeing Cordelia's puzzled look, Xander realized he was starting to babble. Reigning himself in, he got to the point. "A-and maybe that's all we have here. Tawdry teen lust. But maybe not. Maybe something in you sees something special inside me. And vice versa. I mean, I think I do. See something. So..."

He pulled out the jewelry box and handed it to her. She took it and looked up at him. "Xander..." Cordelia opened the box, her eyes widened at what was inside making Xander feel distinctly pleased. "Thank you," she breathed as she held up the necklace and pendant. "It's beautiful." Then she took a breath and looked right at him. "I want to break up."

Xander looked at her in disbelief. For a moment he was sure that he hadn't heard right, then that it must be some kind of joke. "Okay, not quite the reaction I was looking for," he tried to quip but it came out weakly.

Cordelia shook her head looking unhappy herself. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just... Who are we kidding? Even if parts of us do see specialness, we don't fit."

Xander felt like someone had run him straight through with something sharp and cold. "Yeah! Okay... Do you know what's a good day to break up with somebody?" His mouth continued to work without any direction from his mind, it was still reeling from Cordelia's words. "Any day besides Valentine's Day! I mean, what, were you running low on dramatic irony?"

The cheerleader seemed to get it, but she wasn't taking back her words. "I know. I didn't mean to do it this way. I..."

"Well, you did," Xander interrupted. And the sorry look Cordelia was giving him didn't help in the slightest. He was about to just walk away and go find some vampires to work some of what he was feeling out on them when Fel spoke up.

_"Hold it right there! Instead of getting dramatic, you might consider why she's doing it."_

'Didn't you hear her? She's obviously come to her senses and decided I was beneath her!'

_"That would make more sense if Cordelia wasn't looking so miserable herself. And if you'd been a little more observant you might have noticed she's been acting off all day. And alone. I haven't seen her hanging out with a single of her followers all day,"_ Fel mused.

That got Xander thinking. And he quickly realized Fel had been right, Cordelia had been without her usual entourage all day. In fact, now that he actually looked around he noticed some of them were around and directing some very disapproving looks their way. 'They found out,' he thought with a mental wince.

_"Obviously she's facing some kind of uprising amongst her following and is now trying to fend it off."_

'Could you please make her sound less like some ancient warlord from your time,' Xander asked. 'But, I get what you mean.' Now it was a matter of figuring out what he was going to do. How was he going to get Cordelia to open up? Oh, what the hell. "Cordy, what happened?"

***

"Cordy, what happened?" Xander asked in a far too understanding voice that managed to make her feel even worse than she already did. He'd just frozen for a second and then he'd calmed down and asked her that question, probably talked down by his bracelet but that didn't make it less impressive. You can't calm down someone that doesn't want to.

Before she knew it, the words tumbled out. "They know, they found out about us."

"They? Who they?" He asked as he sat back down. Her eyes darted over to the girls' table and Xander's gaze followed. "Ah, them."

"They confronted me this morning and I... I might be the social queen of the school, but that comes with certain expectations. And one is the kind of boyfriends I'm supposed to have, which you-you don't meet them." Cordelia hated the words, hated how they made Xander sound but he deserved the truth. He deserved at least that much from her.

But Xander didn't look hurt, just thoughtful. "Huh. Yeah, but we both knew that from the start."

The easy reply stung. "Don't you get this is serious! I'm dumping you! On freaking Valentine's Day!" Her voice rose a little higher with each sentence until the last sentence was loud enough to be heard by bystanders.

The Aesir just nodded. "I know, but I'm relieved it isn't because you don't think we'll work or you're over me or anything like that. You're breaking up with me because they want you to," he concluded while waving at the Cordettes.

Cordelia frowned at having the situation put like that. It made her sound a little too much like some follower. Xander, apparently, was thinking along the same lines. "And that doesn't sound like you at all. The girl I fell for was in charge and didn't back down for anybody or anything. I'm sure you're going to realize that soon enough and then... well," he shrugged. "We can work out where we go from there, then."

Stunned, the cheerleader realized Xander was absolutely right. She was breaking up with him to please her flock but if she actually did that, she wouldn't be in charge. Harmony and her harpies would be, vetoing her every decision simply because they agreed amongst themselves that they were right and she wasn't. It wouldn't put a stop to anything, it would make things worse.

"Take care of yourself," Xander told her as he made to leave but Cordelia wasn't having any of it.

"Stay," she ordered as her vision zeroed in on her targets. "I'll be back in a minute," she promised as she got up and marched over to where Harmony and the others were. The smugness lurking in the blond's eyes was all the confirmation Cordelia needed to know she was doing the right thing.

***

Leaning back, Xander observed Cordelia squaring off with her supposedly loyal flock. The opening salvo came from one of the more intelligent members who apparently had figured out Cordelia wasn't following their playbook. The cheerleader's riposte was beautiful and put a smile on his face.

After that, the end result of the battle was a foregone conclusion. There was some sputtering here and there, but nothing could deter or slow down Cordelia on the warpath. A minute or two later Cordelia strutted back to him leaving the broken and eviscerated egos of her now sufficiently cowed Cordettes behind.

"Hail to the Queen," Xander whispered when he thought she was in earshot. The smile she shot him was dazzling.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	24. Never Jinx Twice

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Never Jinx Twice**

**Jordan Cemetery**

'Things have been quiet for a while now,' Buffy mused as she started to wrap up tonight's patrol. She'd given her friends the night off so they could focus on the finals that had just begun. She herself was on a shortened patrol schedule too, something Giles was okay with because it had become so quiet on the supernatural front.

_"Quiet, really? I would think the invisible demon in the hospital, the rampaging ghosts in the school, and of course the school's swim team being slowly turned into fish monsters would be something."_

'You're just sulking that none of those problems was a challenge,' Buffy teased.

_"Or not my kind of challenge, anyway. That demon was a pushover and the swim team just needed to be frogmarched to the hospital, and the coach to the police,"_ Mjöllnir noted morosely.

'And apparently you suck at this, eh, cider...'

_"It's seidr,"_ Mjöllnir corrected.

Rolling her eyes, Buffy went on. 'Sire thing, Giles and Gungnir had to do all the heavy lifting on that.' And it had been weird. For two nights in a row Giles had summoned those two ghosts to the library and had kept them there all night long to get them to resolve the issue that kept them here. 'Only in Sunnydale do ghosts get relationship-counseling,' Buffy thought with a shake of her head. 'Yes, Ms. Slimer. Why don't you float over here to the couch and tell me what's going on in your unlife lately.' Still, it had been pretty impressive what her Watcher could do.

_"Please, seidr is for effeminate pushovers. It's not good enough for people like you and me who actually want to go in and do something rather than sitting on our asses and draw pictures."_

'You don't have an ass,' Buffy pointed out reasonably.

_"Not the point! I know summoning the dead or causing earthquakes may look very impressive, but it's still no substitute for the full power of me!"_ the hammer blustered.

'Uhuh, sorry, but crushing things when I hit them with you is nowhere near as powerful as an earthquake.'

_"Well... One of my powers is flight. There, that makes any earthquake completely ineffectual against you,"_ Mjöllnir noted with satisfaction.

"Fly?" Buffy stopped scanning her surroundings as her eyes flew to the amulet resting against her chest. 'You can teach me how to fly? When do we start?'

_"Well, uhm, that is... You're, ah, not actually ready for it yet,"_ the hammer admitted sheepishly. _"You probably won't be for a few more years, to be honest. Hehe."_

"And sidder is suddenly looking a lot better," Buffy muttered disappointed. "At least Giles is already learning that." But she wasn't too sad about it, it wasn't like she was going to need some huge power-up soon. Things around here were actually getting easier, rather then harder. Which didn't include Angel, of course. Nope, not seeing him was not making things easier. No, sirree.

**Kingman's Bluff**

"We're here, finally," the petite, redheaded woman in the middle complained as she and her two companions overlooked the town. Her bare arms showing no hint they were affected by the evening's chill. "When we get back I'm going to explain to those bean counters that there are faster forms of transportation these days called the airplane and the fucking automobile."

"Best leave out the fucking," the three-meter tall man on her left rumbled with some amusement. "And we've been over this. Most human vehicles aren't built for someone of my size." He shifted the weight of the large pack on his back a bit.

"If they'd just arranged for the right paperwork I could have rented a moving van and driven us here in a week," the redhead grumbled.

"What. Do. You. Mean. Just. You. Elsola? I. Could. Help. As. Well," the hooded figure on her right hissed. Every word sounded like it came out of a different mouth.

"Please, how do you expect to drive when you got no hands, Sygin?"

"Not. A. Problem," the hooded Sygin told her.

Elsola dismissed the argument. "Whatever, let's just get setup and find our targets so we can get on with our actual mission." Her companions made sounds of impatient agreement so she led them down into Sunnydale.

**6 Crawford Street**

Satisfied, Elsola nodded to herself as she surveyed their new base of operations. It was some abandoned mansion with ceilings high enough to accommodate even Stark. Speaking of the man, he was even now sitting against one of the walls inspecting the links of his chain mail. His giant shield, its crest covered by cloth, was propped up next to him as was his axe.

On the other side, standing in a cleared area that opened to a small garden, Sygin hovered over a bird-bath on a column. One of the snakes that she had instead of hair was out and half-draped in the bath. Sygin was using one of its fangs, gleaming with venom, to carve the necessary runes into the stone itself.

Her nose wrinkled as it caught the acrid scent of stone dissolved by eitr, but rather then moving away she got closer to see how far along Sygin was. "Almost. Done," she informed Elsola the moment she noticed the redhead's approach.

"Alright," she said as she stopped.

Not wanting to appear to hover, she moved back to the hallway that led to the front door and slid into a martial arts stance. As she began her routine, she spoke up loud enough for both to hear her. "Tomorrow we get a local to give us the lay of the land and see how accurate our info is. If everything goes right, we won't be here longer than a week," she finished with a straight punch.

**Sunnydale High**

"Miss Moran is officially no longer my favorite teacher," Buffy moaned as she plumped down in a seat beside Willow. She was sitting next to Oz and across from Xander and Cordelia who were all looking a little stressed too. But they were also disgustingly basking in the presence of their boyfriends or girlfriends.

"It can't be that bad," Willow tried. "I mean, all of our memories got boosted so you should remember the lessons."

"I thought the class was about getting inspired! Nobody told me I was supposed to learn and think too!" The blond whined half-joking.

"Exactly, what reasonable person would expect to learn stuff during a lesson!" Xander enthused.

"You do, if you expect to get..." Cordelia shot the others a glance now that she remembered she and Xander weren't alone. "Uhm, I mean, I'm going to be a senior next year and I will be dating one too then. Got it!"

Xander sighed, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. "Yes, dear."

Amused, Buffy got back on topic. "Well, it wasn't so bad that I'm going to have nightmares of it tonight, but I did a fair amount of sweating. Of the mental kind," she hastened to add. "Next up is English, then Biology and I'm done for today. I can practically smell a couple of B's from here already, my Mom is going to be ecstatic. Might even get so delirious she'll let me apply for my learner's permit."

Xander nodded. "Yeah, and this time I'm not even going to jinx this streak of good fortune. I am just going to sit back and," he moved his arm around Cordelia's shoulders, "enjoy the ride. Oomph," Xander exhaled after having Cordelia's elbow firmly planted into his stomach.

"Did you just call me a ride?" She asked in a dangerous tone of voice. Seeing the haste with which Xander shook his head in the negative, her thunderous countenance turned sunny again. "Okay, then you can enjoy it."

Shaking her own head at their antics, Buffy just sat back and did exactly what Xander had said. She sat back and just basked in the company of her friends. Her happy, very much alive friends.

**6 Crawford Street**

Gerry moaned a little as he came to again. The last thing he remembered he was about to jump this tasty little morsel that most certainly wasn't the Slayer or any of her friends and the next he was... 'Hanging upside down', he realized.

It took some effort to open his eyes but when he did an incredulous sight confronted him. His foot wasn't caught in an iron manacle and he wasn't suspended by a chain or rope as he had thought. Instead, there was this really tall guy holding him up, seemingly without effort, with a single hand. The white hair and slightly grayish skin told Gerry this one wasn't human if the height and strength hadn't given it away already.

Looking beyond the giant, he noticed two more "people" watching him. One was dressed in a hood and cloak obscuring his every feature and the other was the woman he'd tried to jump earlier. "Uhm, listen. I'm really sorry for, ehm, startling you. Honestly, if I'd known you had protection I wouldn't have even bothered you!"

Running those words back, Gerry decided he could have done with a little less honesty. Luckily, the girl just seemed amused. "Oh, but that would be most inconvenient. What's good acting as bait when nothing will even nibble?"

Swallowing hard, Gerry decided to ignore the flirtatious tone. He was pretty sure she was just toying with him. "Bait? Why do you need bait?" he couldn't stop from asking.

The redhead shrugged. "I'll answer that question if you answer one of mine. How long have you been in Sunnydale?"

Giving her a suspicious look, the vampire mulled over the answer. He had been living in Sunnydale for two years now, but most of that time had been spent as a student at the local college. He'd only been turned seven months ago. Now the question was what would be better for him, lie or not?

If he told the truth, they would think he was a local but he honestly hadn't had that much contact with other demons, which could get him into a difficult situation later. On the other hand, if they thought he was useless right away how high were the changes they would just throw their catch back? 'Half-truth it is!'

"Well," he started slowly, "I've been here for, let's see, a year or so. Could be more, but I don't really pay much attention to calendars these.... years." That was close, almost made himself sound like a total newbie with this vampire thing.

The bland look he got from the girl told him nothing on how believable he'd been but in the absence of feedback his own mind was more than willing to conjure up all kinds of answers. None of them were very comforting. Finally, she spoke up. "I suppose you'll do, for a first interrogation in any case."

Gerry could feel the blood in his body coagulate at hearing those words, they did not sound good at all. But the redhead wasn't finished. "Yes, we're looking for some locals to help us figure out the lay of the land. In particular, we want to know everything you know about the Slayer, Buffy Summers."

His body sagged in relief at hearing that. He knew quite a bit about her, you had to if you wanted to avoid certain death. "That, I can help you with! Want to know where she lives, how she looks, who her friends are or just which parks and cemeteries she patrols on what days?"

"My, my, that's more than I expected. How did you come to be such a wellspring of information?"

"Met a few fellows who had the same idea I had," he responded casually. "If you want to live, you need to know your enemy. So you can stay the hell away from her."

That earned him a smile. "A wise choice," she agreed. "Unfortunately, I already know most of that although the patrol schedule could be useful. No, I want to know if there have been any recent developments in her life and that of her compatriots?"

That question sent his thoughts racing again. There had been rumors after the Slayer had trashed Willy's clientele. "Uh, right, yeah. There's, her boyfriend Angel disappeared a few months back. Right around the time Spike and Drusilla decided to pack up and leave..." Seeing her face become blank again, he knew that wasn't good enough. "Uhm, and there's talk the Slayer has this magical weapon now. Some hammer that she used to massacre everybody in Willy's one night."

That got her attention again. "And what about her friends, anything there?"

'Why is she interested in the Slayer's friends? You avoid them because you don't want to piss of the Slayer, but you only need to know who they are for that so why...?' Finally, it clicked. 'That silver demon that's supposed to be hunting demons, it's one of the Slayer's friends!'

With what he hoped was a winning smile, Gerry started to weave the web of lies he was now banking on to buy him enough time to get away from these people. 'That's right, just trust me to find out more about whatever you're after. And then I am out of this town and heading for LA.'

***

"That was a lot of nothing," Stark complained as he tried to remove the dust from his hands. None of them had any qualms about killing the demon once it had told them what it knew. Loki and his Children had no more love for demons than the other Aesir, their differences lay in other areas. Or had lain.

"What he said was probably less important than what he didn't say," Elsola mused. "Note how the word Aesir never passed his lips, or how vague he was on how many of Buffy Summer's friends had become more than human. Obviously, the three have managed to keep their new status well hidden from the creatures they hunt."

"Or. They. Have. Been. Cowering. In. Their. Homes," Sygin pointed out. "Why. Keep. Their. Power. A. Secret?"

"Why, indeed," Elsola snorted. "After all, it isn't like anybody would go after them out of a desire to possess a galdra-vél for themselves or, I don't know, kill them because they inherited a millennia-old feud right along with the powerful artifact!"

Sygin reared back a little, but was reluctant to give ground. "They. Are. Children! Careless. Sloppy. Ignorant. How. Would. They. Know. To. Stay. Hidden?"

"Because one of those kids is the Slayer which means that not only do they know about the supernatural, but they have a Watcher too who can warn them about such things. So we will stick to the plan and do a thorough recon," she firmly stated.

The hooded head bobbed in something that was either agreement or a shrug, but it was enough for Elsola. Sygin had wanted to launch a surprise attack and get this over with, Elsola had disagreed. The problem with surprise attacks was that the surprise could be on you if you went in thinking you had all the facts without actually bothering to verify that assumption.

"We'll test them tomorrow night, they should be together then." She glanced at the three carved pieces of bone resting on a table. "We will sacrifice our surprise and some expandable meat to gain that final piece we need before we strike."

_TO BE CONTINUED_

_Author's Notes: In Norse mythology, seidr involved singing incantations. For this story, I changed it a little to require runes as well and removed any mentioning of divination. Instead, it's more akin to galdr but I wanted to keep the backstory of seidr so I didn't use that._

_The names of the Children all have some significance too. Sygin is named after Loki's wife, Stark is named after Starkad and Elsola's name I got from the poem you can find on the wikipedia page for trolls._


	25. Release the Hounds

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Release the Hounds**

**6 Crawford Street**

Getting a nod from Sygin that all was ready at her end, Elsola began her part in tonight's entertainment. Biting on her thumb to draw blood, she slowly traced that bloody digit along the runestave carved into the bone strip at the pace set by her mouth as she spoke the words.

With a grimace, she opened the wound again so she could do it with the second strip and after that she had to repeat that action once more for the third runestave. By the time she was halfway with the second bone strip, the runes on the first ones glowed softly as they finished devouring the last of the blood smeared on the bone.

In short order, all three runestaves were giving off a weak, green glow signaling they were ready. With a flick of her hand, Elsola threw them a good distance away. The bones hadn't even stopped clattering when she spoke the final words, " laþu harija!"

For a moment, the runes glowed brightly, then the stone floor seemed to turn to quicksand as a whirlpool of liquid rock began to swirl underneath each of the bones. They gobbled up that glow and then the bones themselves sank into the whirlpools. After those strips of bone had disappeared, hazy things began to slowly rise up from those swirling pools.

First came the head, glowing eyes set in a face that sported a permanent grin on account of the large fangs. There was also a tusk jutting out on either side of the head. A hunched body followed that made the head seem too large for its emaciated frame. The arms were actually longer than its legs and ended in wicked, long claws but each of the nine creatures now standing before Elsola took care not to drag them along the floor.

All of this could be seen through the dark haze that surrounded them, not enough to obscure their features in the electric lighting of the mansion. 'Nine, that's about right. A better result than you'd get in most other places here on earth.'

"Don't. Forget. To. Tell. Them. To. Put. A. Drop. Of. Blood. Into. The. Water," Sygin reminded her. "Each. Of. Them."

Slightly annoyed at being reminded of something she hadn't forgotten in the first place, Elsola gave the order. There was no grumbling or questioning from the creatures, they simply walked over to the bowl and cut themselves with their claws.

After that had been taken care off, Elsola wasted no more time giving them their mission. "There are three Aesir here, they are together. You must find them, kill them and then bring their bodies to us."

The apparent leader reared its head up and sniffed while its eyes rolled around. It did this for several seconds before giving a soft, baying shriek that caused the others to tense. The leader turned around and began to run for the exit, the other creatures following it on its heels.

It wasn't until they'd reached the door that Elsola realized they'd forgotten something after all. She flinched as the door was reduced to splinters under their charge. She didn't ask what genius had forgotten that the Grendelings don't use doors, though. Not when the others could easily point out it really was her fault. "Good thing we won't be staying here long," she muttered.

**Restfield Cemetery**

There wasn't any threat that required Xander, Willow, and Buffy to patrol together, they just did it because it was nice and things were quiet on the Hellmouth. To make things even better, finals had ended that day so they were free to go party at the Bronze afterward. And for once, Xander was sure he could be proud of the grades on his report card.

'Not that the rents will notice that, they'll be too liquored up to even read the thing.' With a grimace he banished the depressing thought. 'Focus on the positive, like your hot girlfriend.'

But Fel had overheard and wasn't so eager to let the topic go. _"Your parents are a disgrace, you should give serious thought to leaving their "care" as soon as legally possible."_

'And how do you propose I pay for rent and stuff?'

_"Obviously, preparations will have to be made in advance. You need to find some way to earn money,"_ Fel mused.

With a mental sigh, Xander asked. 'You mean get a job? You might not have noticed, but between school, training, and patrolling I barely have any time left for my girlfriend. Unless I find a way to get paid for killing demons, I'm stuck with my parents until I graduate, Fel.'

"Xander, you haven't said anything yet," Buffy complained pulling the boy out of his musings.

"About what?" he asked slightly embarrassed he hadn't really listened to what his friends were saying. Helpfully, his memory belatedly informed him what had been said. "Oh, right, what movie we'll go to on Saturday. Well, I'm hearing good things about Deep Impact."

***

Buffy felt some amusement at hearing Xander's suggestion. "Hmmm, I was thinking of Man in the Iron Mask. It's got sword-fighting and Leonardo DiCaprio." Two equally good selling points in the blond's book.

"And girls in period-costumes," Willow enthused earning her a smile from Buffy and a slightly uncomfortable "yeah" from Xander. He still got a little weird from time to time when he was reminded about his best friend's taste in, well, women.

But she could tell Xander hadn't been sold yet and he was about to argue the merits of his suggestion when a pack of... things scrambled over and around a mausoleum and into the trio's view. Seven, eight, nine bipedal creatures, each of them surrounded by a dark haze that slightly warped the air around them, focused their attention on her and her friends. The haze did nothing to obscure their glowing eyes, gleaming sharp teeth or wicked long talons at the ends of their long arms.

"Is anybody else getting Jurassic Park flashbacks?" Xander wondered.

"You-you think they're going to flock this way too?" Willow managed to chime in.

"Funny, I was thinking more along the lines of the Gremlins' big brothers," Buffy added as one of the man-sized creatures sniffed the air. Buffy also noted there wasn't a lot of meat on their frame as the things started to lope at the trio on their dog-like hind-legs.

"What...?" Xander started to ask but broke off as Mjöllnir and the others explained to their wielders what they were facing.

_"Grendelings!"_ Mjöllnir exclaimed with some surprise. _"How could he have found us so fast?"_

'Found you? Who's found you?'

_"I'll explain later, right now you should focus on taking these Grendelings out. You need to damage their brain or heart. They can't bleed to death and heal fast so don't count any of them out just because you injured them!"_ the war hammer warned.

Buffy accepted the advice and prepared herself for the oncoming charge. Without even having to tell them, her friends moved to the sides to give themselves and Buffy some room. It also forced the Grendelings to choose between splitting up or ignoring one or two of their targets giving the Aesir the chance to flank them. They went for splitting up.

Only now did the blond realize there was a difference between the supernatural energy within the Grendelings and that of any demon she'd come across so far. Like with demons, they felt alien to this world. But the energy lacked the feel of inherent evil and wrongness that characterized a vampire's life force. Instead, their energy reeked of hunger and focus. To Buffy's senses they seemed more like a pack of alien hunting dogs than anything else.

And then three of the monsters were upon her and she was far too busy to puzzle out where they fit into the supernatural world. One of them came at her in a frontal assault swinging its arms at her from over its head. Buffy blocked the attack with a grunt, catching the Grendelings wrists on the handle of Mjöllnir before deflecting them to the side opening the creature up for her counter-attack.

She'd barely stepped inside it's reach when the other two appeared on either side of her poised for their own attack. 'Good coordination,' she appreciated. Their attack was coming in at just the right time to force her to break off her attack or risk getting caught defenseless.

'Not good enough though,' Buffy finished with a smile as she reached up with her left hand and used the shoulder of the Grendeling in front of her to launch herself into a somersault over that creature and out of reach of the claws of the other two. As she came down again she almost negligently lopped off the back of the first creature's head with the axe-part of her hammer.

It collapsed with a pitiful whine as she turned to face the other two, blocking the way of the Grendeling on her left, meaning she could concentrate fully on the Grendeling to her right. Unfortunately, that creature had figured it out too and so it hopped back when she took a swing at the monster. She was in mid-swing on her second try when Buffy's instincts started to scream at her.

Without thinking she turned the swing into sideways jump, twisting around as she went. It wasn't enough to evade the other Grendelings claws entirely though. With a ripping sound they traced several fiery lines across her left shoulder. Ignoring the pain, Buffy completed the turn and loosed Mjöllnir at the creature who's defenses were now completely open.

The blond Aesir didn't have time to appreciate the wide-eyed stare the Grendeling gave her hammer the moment before it went straight through its face. Summoning Mjöllnir back to her hands she crouched and brought it up above her head just in time to catch the last Grendeling's raking attack.

The monster didn't let up and tried to claw at her with a swing of its right arm even as it drew back its left to take advantage of any opening Buffy might give it when she defended herself from that attack. But Buffy had no intention of playing into her opponent's hand and jumped up to roll over the swing. Her arm came up and severed the Grendeling's right arm at the elbow.

Thrusting its head towards the sky, the Grendeling gave a screeching yammer before looking back down. Its gaze locked on Buffy and it simply leaped at her, its remaining arm leading the charge. With a snort and a pitiful shake of her head, Buffy stepped aside shouting, "Ole!" She brought her hammer up to sever its other hand and then down when the Grendeling's head came by, stopping it cold.

It twitched once after its crushed head was buried in the ground and then it lay still. Not caring about her now itching shoulder, Buffy looked around to see how her friends were doing.

***

Xander was feeling pretty confident as three Grendelings bounded towards him at a gallop. Fel protected him from anything and after these past few months sparring with Buffy, he was confident he knew how to fight. He noticed the two flanking the third Grendeling hanging back and decided not to play their game.

With a whoop he ducked under the first swing and rammed his shoulder into the middle Grendeling forcing it back and leaving the other two to close in on empty air. The middle Grendeling flew some distance as it gave a surprised screech but Xander had already turned around and simply ignored it.

In a reflex, he brought his arms up to shield his face when both creatures tried to rake him with their claws but they simply skittered across his armor. Smiling, Xander took a step towards the now perturbed looking Grendelings when something jumped on his back and bit down.

He felt the pressure even through his armor and for a moment, Xander thought the teeth were getting through. Then, right next to his ear, came the sound of cracking and shattering teeth and the pressure was gone followed right after by the weight on his back. Half-turning to see how bad the damage was he saw that pretty much every teeth in the Grendeling's mouth was a stump.

There wasn't really any blood, not even when the teeth started to fall out as it cawed angrily at him. The reason it didn't seem discouraged showed itself a moment later as new, whole teeth started to simply rise up from the creature's gums.

Catching movement from the corner of his eyes, Xander turned back to the other two a moment too late to stop them from colliding with him. 'Stupid, are you forgetting everything Giles thought you already? Don't lose sight of your opponents!' he berated himself.

The Grendelings didn't try to bite him, but they were shaking their heads as they clawed at him to bring their tusks into play. Those bony scythes had no more luck getting through his armor than the claws, they were actually hurting the other more than him, but Xander had no intention of just lying there and waiting for rescue from Buffy or Willow.

He managed to free his arms and used those to grab both their heads before slamming them together, their tusks going straight through the other's neck. Next, he heaved the gurgling creatures up and away just in time to meet the third Grendeling in mid-air. Apparently it had just decided to pile on.

The collision prevented them from going far so they all landed not too far from Xander's head. He wasted no time in getting up as the trio liberated themselves from the pile-up showing no sign they had been injured in the slightest.

_"Remember, you need to get the heart or the brain to kill these things,"_ Fel reminded him as he senses Xander's frustration.

Clamping down on the unhelpful emotion, the Aesir nodded. 'Got that, but it's not so easy with just my hands and these jackrabbits jumping around like that... Wait, that's it!'

"Alright, step right up! Who's my first customer," Xander taunted. But he got no takers as the Grendelings eyed him warily. Then one of them hissed and they moved. Again, one attacked head-on while the other two came at him from the sides. And again, Xander stepped forward to attack the Grendeling in the middle.

But instead of body-checking the creature, he grabbed it by the tusks. It had barely come to a stop when he simply pulled. There was resistance, so much of it that he almost gave up thinking he'd overestimated his own strength. And then with the sound of ripping flesh the tusks came out followed by a high-pitched scream from the de-tusked Grendeling.

Smoothly, Xander turned around and slid one tusk between the ribs of the Grendeling to his right and then rammed the second tusk down into the creature on his left piercing its heart as well. Turning back, he brought his hands over his head and then down in a hammerblow right on top of the final Grendeling's head.

***

_"Their heart is located in the center, right beneath the breastbone," _Siffy warned. _"Better aim for the brain."_

'Right,' Willow thought back as the three Grendelings closed the distance. Before she was in arm's reach of them, her braids shot forward leading with the chopsticks she'd put in them before the patrol. Since there was no way she would get through the bone with those slender wooden sticks, she aimed for the eyes.

Reacting faster than she thought they possibly could, the creatures tried to swipe the guided projectiles out of the way. Most of her braids were knocked off course and pierced flesh before the chopsticks snapped off as they hit the bone that was right underneath it. But three hit their target.

As she retracted her hair, letting the stumps of the chopsticks fall to the floor as she did so, two of the Grendelings dropped boneless to the ground. The third looked down at the two crumpled forms surprised, not even reacting to the swiftly healing grooves on his body.

Then the Grendeling looked up again and jumped at her, its claws coming in from the sides. Stamping down on her fear as those gleaming teeth got closer she brought her braids slamming down on the Grendeling pinning it to the ground. Not letting up, the redhead drew several locks back and started to flail it.

In moments, she was through the skin and right after her hair was striking the creature's bones directly. The Grendeling screeched in pain as her braids started to crack its bones, but it didn't stop trashing or trying to get up. Feeling sick and noticing it wasn't actually killing the creature, Willow let up and retracted her hair. But nausea turned to horror when the Grendeling's bones realigned themselves before her eyes with crunching noises.

Skin and muscle was still growing back as the monster stood up shooting Willow a poisonous glare. Not wasting any time it feinted towards her, then hopped to the side to evade her reflexive attack. 'What do I do?' she panicky asked Siffy as she jumped away from the Grendeling's flashing claws.

_"Wrap him like a mummy and then you pull me tight,"_ was the brooch's instant response.

"Right," Willow said out loud as she awkwardly rolled out of the way of the monster's last attack. Her braids shot out even before she'd regained her footing covering the Grendeling's body in short order. Adrenaline shooting through her veins, Willow didn't even stop to think what would happen before she pulled her hair tight.

The monster screamed once before most of his bones snapped like kindling drowning it out. Wide-eyed, the redhead had to fight to keep her dinner down as blood and other... stuff leaked out of the still twitching creature. Dropping the Grendeling, Willow couldn't look away from her own hair. The braids were still extended as green blood slowly dripped down to the floor.

"Remind me never to joke about a bad hair-day to you," Xander quipped in the now silent cemetery.

Looking over at her friends, she noticed they'd both were done with their opponents and that what remained of them was quickly turning into goo. Shame and fear gripped Willow as she realized they'd seen what she had done. What gruesome ending her ability had given that Grendeling.

Her expression must have given something away because Buffy looked her straight in the eyes as she said, "Let's hope your hair's is as self-cleaning as my hammer 'cause otherwise, we better get you some more shampoo." Relieved, Willow nodded as she saw her best friend wasn't revolted.

**6 Crawford Street**

The sight of the cemetery and the three Aesir faded away as the last remnants of the Grendeling's life force seeped out of their bodies and back to their own reality. "Everything. Is. As. Expected," Sygin was swift to point out.

But Elsola felt no need to rise to the bait, she was right after all. "Exactly, there are no surprises here. Well, except for their skill. This Buffy is a better fighter than I'd thought she would be. But none of them are someone we can't handle."

"Then we'll be gone from here soon," Stark wistfully said and Elsola could sympathize. The energy emanating from the Hellmouth was starting to grate on her senses too.

"Yes, by this time tomorrow we should have everything we came for," the redhead predicted.

_TO BE CONTINUED_

_Author Note: the magic spell 'laþu harija' I used here, is a combination of two words that have been found in actual runic inscriptions involving magic. Laþu means invocation or in this case summon, while harija means the troop, the band or the army. So what Elsola is saying should be, 'summon the troop'._


	26. Information Overload

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Information Overload**

**Giles' Home**

Buffy was not a happy camper when she knocked on her Watcher's door. Oh sure, the wounds on her shoulder had healed but her powers did not extend to mending fabric. Which meant her jacket and blouse were ruined and to top things off, her bra was really only hanging by a single strap right now.

If Mjöllnir wasn't so insistent they had to warn Giles right away and refused to explain who had sent those Grendelings before they did so, Buffy would have gone home and changed. 'Can't even just remove it with Xander right there,' she grumbled. Willow's hair was now free of the Grendeling's fluids, but she kept it away from her body and Buffy guessed her friend would have preferred a stop at her own home first as well.

When Giles opened the door, he looked irritated too and Buffy could see why. Behind him she spotted candles on the dinner table and a curious Miss Calendar cluing her in she'd disturbed something intimate. Still, the blond was just about ready to say something snarky when the librarian's look went from irritated to concerned. "Buffy, good heavens, what happened to you?"

"We had these extras from "The Wizard of Oz" jumping us in Restfield. We took care of them but one of 'em managed to ruin my jacket! Just look at it, it's got rips and blood and it was one of my favorites too!"

"Yes, well, did they injure anything besides your wardrobe?" Giles asked almost managing to hide his exasperation.

Buffy shook her head. "Nothing permanent, but the things had Mjöllnir and the others majorly freaked. Called them Grendelings and insisted we should go to you..." the blond stopped when she noticed Giles wasn't listening to her anymore. His head had whipped around and he was now gazing intently to where Gungnir was, his eyebrows slowly climbing to somewhere beyond his hairline.

"Good lord," he breathed.

"Giles," she complained. "Mjöllnir wouldn't explain anything until we talked to you. So if Grungy just gave you the stitch on these things, could you finally fill us in?"

Giles gave her a bewildered look before he managed to compose himself. "Yes, of course, of course. Come in," he waved them in as he went over to a chair and plopped down. "It's just that... I'm sorry," he told Miss Calendar," but what I just heard... I'm afraid we have a crisis on our hands."

"I understand," Miss Calendar assured him as she went over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Anything I can do to help?"

"I knew it," Xander piped in before Giles could answer that. "It's been too quiet around here, I should have known we're due an apocalypse!"

Buffy shot Giles a concerned look at hearing that, but the librarian was already shaking his head. "Nothing so broad, I'm afraid this problem concerns our new status as Aesir," he told the teacher. "I think, yes, I should tell this as Gungnir just relayed it to me. Although he could have said something a few months sooner," he finished shooting the cane a baleful look.

For a moment the room was silent as Giles collected his thoughts. "You already knew our items were made to fight the Old Ones. But there were more than four Aesir and in my own research I did manage to find mentions of other groups. It seems beings from other dimensions chose much the same strategy as the CIA did in the Cold War, arming locals to fight their real enemy. Think Afghanistan and the..."

Noticing he was losing Xander and Buffy, he got back to his story. "Right, one of those groups was called the Vanir. They were apparently very much like the Aesir but they did not get their power from tools but tomes. In any case, after the Old Ones were driven off the Aesir and the Vanir fell into squabbling. Several wars were fought, but neither side got the upper hand as they were too equally matched."

"I always thought you were evasive on the subject of Loki," he said. For a moment Buffy didn't get who he was talking to, then she realized her Watcher was talking to Gungnir. The gasp from Willow told her she knew who that was.

Giles noticed she was the only one too. "Loki was one of the Aesir, a trickster god in the Norse pantheon and apparently in real life. What the stories didn't tell was his obsession with gaining immortality, which is where the Vanir come in. They had found a way to become one with their tomes and thus become as timeless as the items were. Loki wanted that too and in the end, enough to betray his fellow Aesir for that secret and a seat among the winning side."

"So... what?" Buffy asked slowly. "Are you saying this Loki sent the Grendelings?"

Giles shook his head. "No, Gungnir thinks it unlikely. At least directly. He believes one of his children is here, sent by Loki to retrieve our items and more specifically yours. The myths say Loki and Thor had a very antagonistic relationship and that much is apparently true."

"Not to jinx us or anything, but just how tough could that child be? I mean, it's not like he has something like Fel or Mjöllnir, right?" Xander wondered.

"Xander," Willow started before Giles could give an answer, "I've read the stories. According to them the mothers were all giants and trolls and the kids were supposed to.... Well, uhm, help end the world, sort of."

The male Aesir turned to Giles. "I thought you said this was not an apocalypse!" Xander said accusingly.

"It isn't," the librarian assured them. "But according to Gungnir, the Children of Loki are hybrids: A mix of Loki's blood with that of giants, trolls, and humans. Their power is not to be underestimated, especially because our own power is still in its infant phase. But that is not the greatest problem. We just became the target of a very old organization whose resources are far better than our own and right now, we have no idea how they even found out about our existence."

Buffy agreed that it was bad, but there was something that was still bugging her. "Giles, where do the Grendelings come in?"

_"They're one of Loki's inventions,"_ Mjöllnir answered balefully. _"A supernatural replacement for the hunting dog. I imagine the Child was using them to find us, except that their behavior was all wrong. They should have gone back to their master to report or he should be following the Grendelings, this was just wasteful!"_

"Right, so Mjöllnir filled me in on that," Buffy said before anybody else had the chance to say anything. "But he says Levi's kid screwed up 'cause the Grendelings just attacked instead of acting like the scouts they were supposed to be... Say, you don't think the Kid only knows about one of us?"

"Kid?" Giles wondered aloud. "Oh, right, you mean the Child. Well, yes, I suppose it is very much possible his information is fragmentary at best. We have not been advertising our abilities to the supernatural community after all. How much trouble do you think you would have had if you'd been on your own, Buffy?"

The blond bit her lip as she tried to play out that scenario in her head. "Well...." she started slowly. "Just three of them gave me some trouble. They had these wicked sharp claws and they worked together, Giles. Nothing like vampires, they were real pack-hunters. I think, I think they might have gotten lucky if..."

"But you weren't, Buffster," Xander quickly assured her. "And you won't be alone when we find this mini-Loki either."

"Yeah, we'll be right there holding him down so you can beat the stuffing out of him," Willow chimed in.

Buffy shot them both a thankful smile. She honestly didn't know what she'd done to deserve such great friends like these. They wouldn't have become the target of these things if not for Buffy but they didn't even seem to think about blaming her for getting them in this situation.

"And of course, you have my aid," her Watcher added. "Which I will begin giving tonight by finding out everything Gungnir knows of these Children. I suggest we assemble tomorrow in the library to see which locations he might be using as a base of operations and then check them out before nightfall. I scarcely think the Child will risk using these Grendelings in the light of day so we'll have until then to find him."

They all nodded and Buffy got up. She wanted to see if her Mom was okay. 'And after that, you and me are going to be having a very serious talk about what I exactly need to know,' she told Mjöllnir.

**Summers' Art Gallery**

Wearing a bemused smile, Elsola walked into the gallery looking over the works on display. 'The things humans dare to call art these days,' she mused. Her eyes drifted over a painting and paused. 'Hmmm, well, looks like Joyce Summers has some taste after all.'

She had just moved closer to get a better look when her target approached her. "Good afternoon, is there anything I can help you with?"

Elsola's smile only got more amused at hearing the friendly politeness. She knew her outfit wasn't exactly what humans considered decent. It showed too much skin although it didn't stand out here in California. Still, it was something more appropriate for going out rather than shopping. "You can, with two separate matters in fact. I just noticed this painting and I am intrigued, who made it?"

Joyce only had to glance at it again to recall the information. "Uhm, that would be a local by going by the name of Verin Tarrel. I find her work fascinating as well, she has such imagination."

"Imagination?" Elsola mused. "I wouldn't know about that. It's actually one of the few pieces here that are actually depicting something recognizable," she finished with a secretive smile directed at Joyce. Before the woman could ask what she meant by that, Elsola continued, "What are you asking for it?"

"Well, I sold something of her a few weeks ago for $1,500."

The redhead nodded thoughtfully at hearing the price. "Really... Well, I am giving serious thought on acquiring it," she quipped lamenting that the human wouldn't get what she meant by that until later, "but I should really get to the reason why I originally came here. You are Joyce Summers, mother of Buffy Summers, right?"

Joyce had nodded a little puzzled at the first part of that question, but stopped with that when Elsola mentioned Buffy. Her gaze got sharp and quite inquisitive fast. "I'm sorry, but I seem to have forgotten your name," she said.

Shrugging, Elsola decided to play a little longer. "I am Elsola, and is that a yes?"

"What, exactly, do you want with my daughter Miss Elsola?"

"Oh, just plain Elsola," she corrected in an affable tone. And the Child of Loki made sure to maintain that tone as she went on. "And I'm here to kill your daughter. And her friends," she added as if it was just an afterthought.

The look of surprise on the older woman's face really was comical. Joyce would probably get a good laugh out of it too if she could only see herself. 'Or maybe not, I did just inform her I was going to kill her flesh and blood.'

Before the human had the chance to do more than take a half-step back, Elsola planted her fist in the woman's stomach doubling her over.

An equally careful strike to the back of her head knocked the woman out. Still, Elsola felt some anxiety as she checked her target's over to make sure she wasn't too badly injured. Alive and conscious bait would work so much better than a corpse.

**1630 Revello Drive**

Buffy felt drained as she walked home. They had just spent much of the day running around Sunnydale trying to find a hint where the Child of Loki was and not getting much. Giles knew quite a bit about them now, but that was also the problem. Apparently, Loki's kids were very divers which meant they couldn't really narrow it down to what this Child preferred for its living arrangements if they didn't know the first thing about him.

That they didn't like demons at all should have been of the good, except in this case where it meant the demon population was clueless about the Child's arrival let alone where it might be holing up. And she had asked, she really had. But neither Willy nor any of his customers knew anything.

So now they were down to going on patrol tonight hoping to draw him out somewhere that wasn't her home where her mother happened to be.

_"Things would be simpler if you just told her about everything,"_ Mjöllnir opined.

'No, it wouldn't!' she thought back emphatically. 'It would make things complicated and bad, very bad. I know, she... I mean," an old fear tried to rise up but Buffy squashed it, hoping she'd been fast enough to hide it from Mjöllnir. But she had no such luck.

_"Your mother had you committed?"_ rang through her head. _"How could she do that to her own daughter?"_

'I'd just burned down the gym and I was using that as my defense, it did sound a little insane,' she couldn't help but defend her mother. 'It was the more logical explanation that I was having problems... after a while I almost believed it myself,' she thought almost wistfully.

_"I can't believe you managed to hide something like this from me. Do you not trust me?"_

'That's not it, I do trust you. It's just, it wasn't my best moment, and I kind of prefer to forget the whole thing. But that's how I know Mom won't be able to handle the truth. She's better off thinking the world is rational and I'm just a troublesome daughter,' she thought as she turned into her street.

Her thoughts came to a crashing halt as she caught sight of the police cars in front of her home. One of the cops was retrieving police-tape but Buffy only had eyes for the splintered wooden frame that had once held her front door. "Mom!" she yelled as she sped to her house.

She was already on the lawn before the officers had finished turning around to see what the commotion was. The next moment she was on the porch and that's where she had to stop because someone was in the way. It took her a moment to identify him, but then she recognized detective Stein. He was the one that had interviewed them after they'd found out about Ted.

"My mom, where is she? What happened?"

Hearing her, the detective looked up from some letter he was studying. Seeing it was Buffy, his eyes got calculating. "Ah, Miss Summers. I was about to send an officer out to find you. Uhm, I'm afraid your mother got, ah, kidnapped."

"What?!" Buffy looked at him in disbelief.

He nodded, trying to look sympathetic. "I'm afraid so. Now the people that did that, also broke into your home and left this note. Do you recognize the writing?"

Her mouth was already open to ask what he meant by that when her eyes caught the writing on the paper he was holding up. She couldn't read it, but she was certain she'd seen it somewhere. 'Giles. It looks like what Giles inscribed on those sticks when he was helping the ghosts.'

_"It's runic. You can't read it yet, but I can. I won't bother translating it right now, but the short of it is that the Children of Loki got your mother and they want you, Willow and Xander to make an appearance at a certain address in about two hours."_

"Mom," escaped her lips in a whisper as the message hit home. Her thoughts going a mile a minute, she shook her head. "No," she told him. She knew she should stay here for a little while longer; play the helpless distraught daughter but she honestly was too upset to go through with that right now. She had to do something. "I gotta go."

She quickly strode off the porch and was crossing the lawn when the detective called after her. "Miss Summers, wait. You can't, I still have questions. Miss Summers!" he shouted after when she didn't react. When that didn't work either, he gave the officers on the front lawn an order, "Stop her!"

The nearest officer grabbed her arm. "Hold up, Miss." Buffy didn't even bother to look before wrenching her arm out of his grip. She had no time for this, every minute Buffy wasted here was another minute her mom was in the hands of people that... The blond shied away from what they might do to her mother.

"Hey!" the officer exclaimed as he caught her arm again. This time, he tried to pull it behind her back in an effort to restrain her but Buffy just went with it. Twisting with the motion she took a hold of the officer's arm in return then used it to flip him up and over so he landed on the grass on his back.

Buffy heard a click so she looked up just in time to see the guy's partner drawing her gun. Running on instinct now, the Aesir pulled on the officer's arm that she was still holding to lift him from the grass before kicking him at the police officer that was now aiming her gun at her. They went down in a tangle, the gun going off into the air once.

Before anybody else could think of trying to delay her, Buffy broke out in a sprint straight for the library. Giles would be there, and from there she could call the guys. 'Hang on, Mom. I'm coming.'

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	27. Shattered Assumptions

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Shattered Assumptions**

**6 Crawford Street**

Joyce woke up feeling a little nauseous and with a bad headache. Groggily, she had to blink a lot as she tried to look around. The room was barely lit for which she was thankful because even the little light that was there stung her eyes. "Oooooh," she moaned as she tried to remember what had happened.

The last thing she could remember was ringing... 'The ringing of the bell... at the gallery. A customer was coming in, a woman dressed.... well, dressed in something not even Buffy would wear. I think she wouldn't, anyway,' she amended.

It was a testament to how out of it she was, that she only slowly began to realize she wasn't alone. The first person she recognized as the girl that had walked into her gallery. She was still wearing that leather outfit that seemed to be sporting a lot of laces holding it all together. She'd actually reminded Joyce of Buffy with her small stature and green eyes full of mirth. Ms. Summers didn't think that anymore.

It took her a few more moments to realize that Elsola wasn't standing besides a lumpy pillar but an impossibly tall person. It was a little hard to tell from her point of view but Joyce estimated him to be around 9' 10" and not at all gangly. The third had managed to evade detection due to a dark robe that covered him from head to toe.

"Excellent, you're awake," the redhead noted pleased. Joyce finally remembered her name, it was Elsola. "Sygin, how much time do we got left before we head to the site?"

"Twenty. Seven. Minutes," the robed figure hissed sounding vaguely feminine. But it was hard to tell given her bizarre speech pattern.

"What," she croaked before wetting her dry lips and trying again. "What's going on? Why are you doing this?"

"But I told you at the gallery, don't you remember?" Elsola asked surprised. "Hmm, maybe not. I did knock you out right after and I've heard that can affect a human's short-term memory," she said to herself. "Very well, I will explain again. We have kidnapped you so we can lure your daughter and her two friends to a location of our choosing where we plan to kill them. Oh, and besides your daughter's life I am planning on relieving you of that painting. I think it's going to look very good above my new mantel."

Joyce's mouth worked but sheer horrified astonishment prevented her from producing any sound whatsoever for a moment. "That, that, why Buffy? Why do you want to harm any of them? She's just... Is this some kind of gang thing?" she couldn't help but ask. She'd had her suspicions back in LA, but Xander and Willow seemed like such nice kids.

It was Elsola's turn to be surprised. "A gang? You actually think your daughter's in a gang?" And then the petite woman began to laugh uproariously. Beside her, the human mountain chuckle boomed through the room while the sound like a dozen boiling kettles was coming from the robed woman. The cacophony made Joyce feel more foolish with every moment it went on.

Eventually, the laughter died down. Elsola was the last to regain her composure. "No, Joyce, you're daughter is not in a gang. I suppose she must have wanted to shield you from the truth or something, a foolish notion on a Hellmouth. But she didn't even tell you she was a Vampire Slayer, did she?"

Blinking, the older woman tried to puzzle that statement out. "Vampire Slayer?" Buffy had said something along those lines after she'd burned down the gym, but she'd gotten better after, after she'd come back... from... No, it couldn't be. "There's no such thing as vampires," she denied in a weak voice uncertain who she was trying to convince here.

That started the trio again, but this time it was just a short chuckle. But Joyce was regaining her certainty. "You're insane!" That was the explanation. These insane people were after her daughter because they were just that. Granted, the man was freakishly large but that...

Her mind froze, unable to form a single coherent thought. The reason for that was that the robed person had come forward and lifted her hood away. Or better said, the snakes on the clump that was supposed to be her head had moved it out of the way.

"I. Have. No. Patience. For. The. Human's. Foolish. Denials. Get. To. The. Point!" Every snake only spoke a single word before another took over, that is where the speech pattern came from.

"Thanks, Sygin. I think that got through the denial splendidly." Elsola frowned. "Of course, she seems to be broken now. Hey," she said loudly before clapping her hands startling Joyce. "Wakey, wakey."

Startled out of her frozen state, Joyce looked around bewildered. Catching sight of Sygin she could feel herself slipping away again, but with a shake of her head she fought it off. "You're... vampires?" It didn't sound right. Vampires weren't supposed to look like... that.

Her kidnappers weren't amused. "We are nothing like those corpse-infesting demons," the redhead snarled. "We're not demons at all, we're better than them, superior. This isn't about what your daughter was or the things she has chosen to hunt still. This is about what she has become."

Elsola kneeled down. "You see, your daughter and her friends found some things our Lord considers his and he sent us to get them."

"Couldn't you just ask for them? I mean, if it's yours to begin with."

But the redhead shook her head. "Ah, no. The items have bound themselves to them so we can't take them until after we've killed them. And our Lord wants your daughter's head too. Probably going to put it on a pike in front of his hall." She gave a shrug, seemingly unimpressed by Joyce's horrified expression. "It's tradition."

"Who are you people?" Ms. Summers couldn't help but ask.

"We're the Children of Loki, Joyce. Sent here to kill the new Aesir Willow Rosenberg and Alexander Harris and retrieve their items. However, and above all, we were sent to kill your daughter. The one who has taken up Thor's hammer, Buffy Summers. I suppose I should congratulate you on your daughter becoming a god but since you're the bait for the trap that will soon kill her, condolences may be more appropriate," Elsola mused.

**Sunnydale High**

Storming into the library, Buffy was relieved to see the gang was already assembled. Even Oz was there. "Giles, they got my Mom!"

Her entrance had already drawn everyone's gaze, her words startled them to their feet. Except for Giles who was already standing. "Good Lord." He paused, then frowned. "Uhm, who are "they"?"

"Them!" Buffy helpfully clarified. Realizing she was not making herself clear and that her mother's only chance was in getting rescued by a calm and collected Buffy, she took a deep breath before trying again. "It's Locker's kids, there's more than one and they knew, Giles. They knew who I was, where I lived, and who Xander and Willow were! Now they've kidnapped my Mom and they're threatening to kill her unless we three show up at the construction site over on 5th street at nine o' clock."

"Buffy, how do you know?" Willow asked before her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, the kidnappers contacted you. What did he look like, or did he use a phone?"

"Neither," Buffy told them as she started to pace back and forth. "They left a letter in my house, after demolishing the door. I came right here after the cops showed it to me. I couldn't read those scribbles but Mjöllnir could."

Giles next question was filled with concern. "The police, they are involved?"

The blond nodded sadly. "Yeah, they were at my house looking for clues. Tried to stop me too when I walked away... They may be looking for me on account of me, ehm, manhandling a few officers," she admitted sheepishly.

Her Watcher gave a suffering sigh. "Buffy... Never mind, I can understand your distress. But there is one thing I noticed you didn't say," he went on. Buffy was afraid of the question that would come next; about how she could be sure that her mother wasn't dead already. Because the answer was that she didn't know and if she said it out loud, she would have to acknowledge that uncertainty. Face the possibility that her Mom wasn't coming home.

But that was not what Giles asked. "They made no mentioning of me? Only you, Xander and Willow?"

It took her a moment to process the unanticipated question. 'I... I don't think they did, right Mjöllnir?'

_"There was no mention of Giles in the entire letter,"_ Mjöllnir confirmed. _"It's clear from the text that they think there's only three of us here."_

"Not according to Mjöllnir," she said out loud. "They have no idea there's four Aesir," she mused as a plan began to form. "We can use that... Willow, is there any way to find out how far along they are with construction?"

"Not that far," Xander broke in. "My Uncle Dave is supposed to help install the plumbing there and he's been complaining about delays. Something about a lawsuit on who owns a piece of the land they're building the houses on. As far as I know, they haven't even started excavating so they can lay the foundation." Seeing the surprised looks all around him, he clarified, "Hey, I got connections too."

"Apparently," Giles conceded. He looked back at Buffy. "I take it you have a plan?"

The blond Aesir nodded. "The start of one, anyway. But for it to work I need to know how far you've gotten in your training and," now she looked at Oz, "if you would mind playing getaway-driver with your van for us?" She thought he would say yes, but wasn't really sure. Buffy was asking the guy to willingly go into a situation where he would be risking his life after all and she didn't know him well enough to say which way he would go.

But Oz didn't seemed fazed, he just gave Willow a look. "I'm with you."

**Construction Site**

The area was quiet, not surprising considering it was on the outside of the town, and night had just fallen. There'd been a security guard but Sygin had taken care of him. He would have objected to them throwing the gate wide-open for one, not to mention what kind of fuss the human might have made over their intention to hold a battle here.

Surveying the future battlefield, Elsola was very pleased. The ground had been cleared in preparation of construction activity so the Aesir would have to approach openly. No way to sneak around an try to free the hostage without first facing her and the others.

The hostage in question was tied to a chair, but not gagged. Heartfelt pleas would have a more destabilizing effect on the emotions of their target than just the sight of her mother held hostage, or so Sygin had ensured them.

Looking up at the stars, Elsola couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. 'I was certain they would have come early to try and get some advantage. But the deadline is now fast approaching and there is still no sign of them.' Her ears pricked up as she heard the sound of a car coming towards them. 'No, the engine-sound is off. It's a little heavier, probably a van.'

"Finally. They. Are. Coming," Sygin grumbled signaling she too had heard it.

"The night is young," Stark rumbled. "And the fight will be over fast enough. Better not get impatient now, when a stumble can be deadly."

"They Are. Not. A. Threat. Only. A. Nuisance!"

But underneath Sygin's tetchy reply, Elsola heard their hostage breathe, "No, Buffy. Don't Come!"

Of course, her daughter couldn't possibly hear that and in another minute, a slightly beat-up van came to a standstill in front of the entrance to the construction site. The van's side-door was facing them so they could quickly confirm that all three Aesir had come.

"Such a dutiful daughter," Elsola couldn't help but murmur just loud enough that Joyce could hear her. It was a little cruel, perhaps, but it was the human's fault she'd been foolish and, well, human.

The three young Aesir stopped a ways away from them, Buffy flanked on either side by her friend's who were keeping a wary eye on Elsola and the others. But Buffy herself was looking at her mother and the look the redhead saw there was perfect; just the right blend of anxiety and outright fear to keep the girl off balance.

"You're early," Elsola remarked with a voice laden with irony as she led Sygin and Stark to stand closer to the trio.

The blond shrugged but didn't stop checking her mother to see if she was alright. "What can I say," and then she did look at Elsola and the mischievous grin Buffy now sported was sending alarm bells ringing. "I don't like playing by your rules. I prefer mine. Giles!"

Elsola caught movement out of the corner of her eye and looked over at the van. An older man was standing bent over in the van looking in their direction with an expression of utmost concentration. She recognized him right away as Buffy's Watcher and just started to wonder what he thought he could do when she recognized the spear in his hand. "Gungnir," she cursed.

"A. Fourth!" Sygin hissed beside her as she realized what Elsola had. Her mind was still trying to process what this meant for the tactical situation when a blinding blue light streaked across the field.

_TO BE CONTINUED_

...Human'...Point!


	28. Ring up the Curtain

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Ring up the Curtain**

**Construction Site**

Giles stayed hidden even after Buffy and the others walked away from the van. It wouldn't do to tip their hand before they could spring the surprise. Therefore, he had to sit there as the seconds ticked away, listening closely to the conversation now going on between Buffy and one of the Children.

All too soon, he heard the words that signaled to him that Buffy had managed to get the Children to move away from Joyce. "I don't like playing by your rules," his charge taunted. Giles scrambled out of cover at hearing them. "I prefer mine. Giles!" Buffy called out.

By the time she'd said his name he was stooped over, standing inside the van with Gungnir returned to his spear-form pointing at where Buffy's mother was tied up. He ignored the exclamations of Loki's Children; instead, he he focused inward digging for the well of power Gungnir had shown him several months ago. It only took a moment to tap into it and will it to flow into the spear.

Thrusting the spear forward, he let the power loose and felt it swallow him and Gungnir up. For a very brief time, they were pure energy rocketing across the distance separating him from Ms. Summers. The world seemed frozen for that instant, yet paradoxically it all seemed to happen in a flash. A flash that deposited him right next to Buffy's mother, thunder booming softly in his wake.

Moving far faster than he could have a year ago, he took a hold of the chair that Joyce was tied to and spun to face the van. 'And now for the hard part.' Once again tapping into his power, he gritted his teeth, as he had to draw enough energy to transport not just himself and Gungnir, but also Ms. Summers and the chair she was still bound to.

Once more, he thrust Gungnir forward and let it lead the way into the lightning bolt that deposited them in the van. The air exploded from him as he crashed into the van's interior, sandwiched between the wall and the occupied chair. "Drive," he wheezed as he directed a pained look at where the children were still squaring off with their opponents.

He wanted to stay and fight, but Buffy had asked him to make sure her Mom would be okay and he'd found himself unable to deny the request. 'And probably wise of her too,' he noted with a grimace. 'I overtaxed myself, I can barely move.'

Joyce couldn't really move either, but they had landed in such a way that she could look still see her daughter squaring off with her kidnappers. "Buffy," she cried as they drove away. "No, Buffy! Don't, run!"

***

Seeing those three turn frantically around and back again just as swiftly as they tried to keep track of her mother filled Buffy with savage satisfaction. The sight of her mother being safely driven away replaced it with relief. Her mother crying out her name and urging her to run could barely put a dent in the feeling.

As the van drove away, the Children focused their attention back on Buffy and her friends. The giant seemed to remain calm but it was hard to tell with the helmet and Buffy had to guess that the sound of venting steam pipes coming from the hooded figure was a sign of anger.

In contrast, the redhead's fury was blindingly obvious. Her eyes flashing she bellowed, "You!" But then she cut herself of and after a few deep breaths she visibly calmed down. "It doesn't matter. We'll just have to hunt him down after we've dealt with you three. Stark, you keep the double-crossing bitch busy while Sygnin and I take care of her friends."

"On it," the man rumbled before lifting his long axe from his shoulder as he began to stride towards her. The man was loaded for bear with his chain mail with some kind of padded cloth peaking out from underneath it. There was also the helmet complete with visor to protect the area around the eyes and the shield that had a small, metal dome in the center. The shield was also adorned with an octopus, its head occupying the top half of the shield while its arms radiated outwards down and to the sides like the spokes on a wheel.

Buffy swore she could almost feel the ground vibrate with every step the armored figure took. "Guys, I'm going to need some room," she warned as she summoned Mjöllnir to her hand.

Xander responded with an "Okay, Buffster." while Willow just nodded. Buffy spared a moment to worry for her female best friend, but she could also see the resolve in Willow's eyes. Offering her to step aside and let Xander and Buffy do all the fighting wouldn't be appreciated, she knew.

Suddenly, she had other things to worry about as Stark was almost upon her. Being almost in the man's striking range really drove home to her just how big he was. Just about twice Buffy's length and maybe just as wide as Buffy was tall she felt like David facing Goliath.

_"But you've got something way better than a measly sling,"_ Mjöllnir consoled her. _"Oh, and don't expect him to have some obvious and unprotected weak-spot. I'd say he's descendent from a Frost Giant and those are a hardy bunch."_

'Doesn't mean he won't make mistakes,' she thought back as Stark drew back his axe while covering most of his form with his shield. However, he still had to see where he was swinging his axe at and Buffy moved faster. With a whipping motion of her arm, she launched her hammer at Stark, going straight for the metal strip covering his nose.

His startling blue eyes widened in surprise but it didn't dull his reaction time. Faster than Buffy thought possible the shield rose up and Mjöllnir clanged off it with a loud boom. Not missing his stride, Stark's shield came down at the same time as his axe.

Buffy reacted just as fast. Summoning the war hammer back to her, she brought it up above her head and caught the overhead swing. Whatever the axe's head was made of, it wasn't steel because the collision didn't damage it in the least. The impact itself continued to travel down her arms and with a surprised grunt, the blond's legs buckled under the force.

Not wanting to get into a contest of strength with what was obviously a stronger opponent, Buffy stepped away and let the axe slide down to her left. She had to turn the step into a roll as the edge of the shield came sailing in. The massive object just missed her but the gust of wind it kicked up plucked at her hair.

In a fluid move, Buffy came up from the roll and jumped towards the giant with Mjöllnir poised to break Stark's kneecap. Instead of meeting chain mail, her hammer struck the shield her enemy had managed to interpose just in time. The impact produced a thundering boom but did little else and then it was Buffy's turn again to be on the defensive.

Buffy hopped back to avoid the shield strike, and then cartwheeled over an axe-swing coming in from the left. 'He's open on his right now,' she realized. However, she'd only just landed when the axe came back. Buffy managed to put Mjöllnir's handle between her and the axe but she still caught most of the strike herself. Her only saving grace was that Stark hadn't bothered to twist the axe-head around so she was struck with the blunt end.

It was still enough to send the petite blond flying several feet through the air before landing on the packed soil with a thud. Buffy kept rolling, ignoring the protests from her aching shoulder, and a moment later Stark's weapon dug into the earth where she'd just been.

Breathing hard now, Buffy got up as the giant retrieved his axe while continuing to create some distance between them. Winching, she rotated her shoulder to test how well it still worked. 'Not broken or dislocated, good. Skilled and completely unhurt giant, not good.'

Shifting her grip to the hammer's strap, she began to whirl it above her head. Stark took a step towards her, and then stopped as if reconsidering. "That will not work," he informed her. "I took care to take armaments not made out of earthly material," he boasted as he crouched down behind his shield.

"And if I knew what that meant, I might be impressed!" Buffy retorted before loosing Mjöllnir at him. The war hammer streaked towards Stark, bridging the distance in a moment. With a thunderous crash it hit the shield, driving Stark back on his haunches. Nevertheless, as the hammer fell to earth having transferred all its momentum to the armored giant, it revealed only a slight dent on the shield barely visible from where Buffy stood.

"Guess it means, 'Not made in China,'" Buffy huffed as Mjöllnir returned to her hand. Gripping the hammer a little firmer with her hands, Buffy started to jog towards her enemy. Without hesitation, Stark moved to meet her charge.

***

Xander felt a little ashamed at how easy he found it to devote his attention to his opponent and block out what was going on around him. The redheaded woman was keeping pace with him, strutting away from where Buffy and Stark were fighting and it gave him a great view of her legs.

_"Don't forget she's here to kill you,"_ Fel warned. _"I promise you, she won't hesitate to make use of any distraction."_ Xander wordlessly agreed with him and so he let the metal skin flow over him to help get him in the right mindset.

The girl stopped abruptly and shot him a smile. "Ah, Blàcan Fel. The impenetrable skin of Baldur, it must fill you with a sense of invulnerability, right Alexander?"

Xander was a little puzzled what the difference was, but he wasn't going to ask and confirm he didn't know. "The name's Xander, lady."

"Elsola," the Child supplied. "Please call me Elsola, lady makes me feel old. And do I look old to you?" Elsola asked as she let her hands trail up over her legs and torso.

For a moment, Xander's eyes couldn't help but follow those hands. Then he remembered whom he was dealing with and tore them away to meet Elsola's gaze. "Ehm, to be honest, you're looking a little too young. My girlfriend looks like a woman while you look like you're twelve. Just how much padding are you using there?"

The Child's eyes went from teasing to murderous in an instant, but her tone was still pleasant. "None, you see I need some room to... grow," she finished by growling the last word. A word that became reality as her body did just that.

Her petite form grew taller and filled out as her skin went from smooth to bumpy and stone-like. It was also turning muddy green. The reason for all those laces in her outfit now become apparent as her clothes struggled to cope with the larger body it was now covering. Even more skin showed now but Xander could have done with less, a lot less.

Her face changed even more as her nose grew disproportionally with the rest of her face while her hair color deepened until it was a bright red. Only her eyes changed the same, although there was now a smug expression there. "Oh, don't look so shocked. My ancestor was a troll, after all."

"Well.... You look older now," Xander quipped weakly as his brain tried to desperately forget all the idle fantasies it had been entertaining in the background just a few minutes ago.

"Funny," Elsola told him with a smirk before suddenly charging towards him. "But in a fight, experience counts and not looks, pretty boy!" The troll taunted as she threw a punch.

Xander blocked the punch but not the kick to his stomach that sent him staggering back. Ignoring the urge to rub his stomach, he'd actually felt that one, the Aesir sidestepped the next kick and slapped Elsola's fist out of the way before jabbing at her chin. It felt like punching granite with an unprotected fist, but her head did snap back and this time it was Elsola's turn to back away.

When he tried to press the advantage, though, Elsola caught his arm and used it to throw Xander over her shoulder. He flew through the air and then slid several more feet over the ground before he could stop. Scrambling to his feet, he was just in time to meet Loki's Child's next attack.

Punches and jabs were exchanged and blocked or deflected before he managed to slip a palm thrust through Elsola's defenses. The hit elicited a grunt from the she-troll but she didn't let up her own assault and a few seconds later it was Xander's turn to be hit.

'This is going to take while,' Xander thought as he gritted his teeth and tried for a leg sweep. Elsola jumped over it then kicked up hitting him in the chin just as he was getting up. It hurt, it actually hurt, but it also helped him get up. Barely keeping his balance, Xander managed to slap Elsola's leg out of position as it came down.

While the Child was still trying to regain her footing, Xander plowed into her with his shoulder launching her into the air this time. 'A long while,' he considered as a fist to the side of his knee stopped his follow-up charge.

***

Willow eyed the hooded figure carefully. She'd moved to the side when Buffy had asked and the redheaded Child had followed Xander but the one in the obscuring robes had simply stood there. Taking a deep breath, she started to approach the one the redheaded Child had called Sygnin. Willow did not intend to get too close, but she couldn't infinitely elongate her hair.

She was just about where she could reach the hooded figure when that person finally moved. Seemingly on its own, the hood was removed revealing a sight that actually made Willow take a step back. Instead of hair, it had snakes, living snakes, and not little ones either. There were maybe twelve of them, each of them pretty big and revealing fangs gleaming with venom when they opened their mouths.

Willow would almost call it a Gorgon, if not for the fact that her gray-skinned head lacked eyes, nose or ears. There was just a thin-lipped mouth on that lump that might be a head. The whole was not so much ugly as simply alien; it was that different.

The redheaded Aesir got the distinct impression her reaction amused Sygnin, even though it's face didn't change in the slightest. Nevertheless, there seemed to be a gleam in the eyes of the snakes that hadn't been there a second ago.

"Don't. Think," two of the snakes hissed, each taking responsibility for uttering one of the words. "I. Will. Waste. Time. With. Idle. Banter!" At the last word, all the snakes streaked towards her. Just like her hair, their length increased but she had no time to appreciate that.

In a wild move Willow sent her own braids to meet the striking vipers, flailing those locks of hair around in a desperate move to stop them all. The air was filled with whip-cracks and furious hisses as with a big dose of luck, Willow managed to catch them all.

Just as fast, the snakes retreated and Willow mirrored the move while keeping a cautious eye on her opponent. 'I got lucky, they're going too fast for me to track them all,' she worried.

_"Yes, but unless I miss my guess those snakes are all part of the same consciousness. Which means they are all directed by a single intelligence. You should be able to use your empathy to anticipate her,"_ Siffy advised.

'Are you sure? I've never used it while fighting or against something not human or hostile or....'

Siffy interrupted her. _"I believe you can do it. Just focus and listen."_

Nodding, Willow calmed down by taking a deep breath and then letting it out slowly. Her emotions settled, she cautiously started to 'listen' as Siffy called it. Instead of trying to get a deep insight into her enemy by actually reaching out, Willow was aiming for something less ambitious. Knowing when and where her opponent planned to attack.

The emotional presence of Sygnin was as alien as her appearance, reminding Willow of a cat who was enjoying toying with a mouse. Something stirred and Willow sent out her own braids without even thinking about it. This time her own strikes were as controlled and precise as Sygnin's.

Once more, the sound of whip-like braids striking scaly skin was followed by frustrated hissing as the snakes withdrew. There had been a flash of pain there, but it had faded fast cluing the redhead in that she hadn't actually hurt her opponent. The annoyance now radiating from her enemy elicited a sense of triumph from Willow, who couldn't stop a smile from forming on her lips. In response, Sygnin's annoyance flared even higher.

Therefore the Child's next attack didn't come as a surprise, what did was the tactic. Instead of sending all of her snakes at once, only half struck while the rest waited until the first wave had been stopped. While that wave reared back so they could strike again, a second wave came in.

Still, Willow managed to keep up by not thinking and just reacting while Sygnin kept up the pattern, only changing the angle of attack. Sometimes sending them straight at the redhead, other times angling her snakes away from Willow before making them curve towards the Aesir. Or just mix those two together in an effort to sneak one of the poisonous reptiles past Willow's guard.

None managed, although it did keep Willow wholly on the defensive. Moreover, she knew very well that staying on the defensive wasn't going to win her the fight. 'So how do I do that?' Willow wondered as she slapped another snake into the ground. After it rose up, it actually shook its head to clear it before rearing back so it could try again. 'And without getting poisoned while I do it?'

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	29. Showdown Part I

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_Author's Note: There's two oversights I found going over my story. The first one is that I completely misspelled Sygnin's name. I wanted to name her after Loki's wife, but she's called 'Sigyn'. All I can say at this junction is... Oops._

_The second oversight concerns is Eitr. I've already mention it in the story but neglected to explain it in my author's notes. So here's a small rundown on the substance. Eitr, in Norse mythology, is the stuff that the world and the first living thing, the giant Ymir, were made from. Paradoxally, it's supposed to be extremely poisonous and was the poison of the Midgard Serpent and other serpents. In this story, it's simply a mystical poison of Loki's invention._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Showdown, Part I**

**Construction Site**

Stark carefully rotated his right wrist while keeping his shield ready to block any attempt by the blond to make use of that opening. 'Got a little careless there, I overextended the swing,' he admitted to himself. He was lucky the padded cloth he was wearing underneath his chain mail softened the blow or he would have had a sprained wrist at the very least.

'She is skilled,' Stark concluded. 'But so am I,' he finished as she advanced again. He couldn't help but smile slightly as the little blond didn't hesitate to meet him. He felt the hammer's impact on his shield traveling upward through his arm but it didn't throw off his own timing. Not that it mattered, because the blond Aesir evaded the strike and then tried to dart in to repeat her earlier success.

This time, Stark was prepared for it and was already pulling his axe back intending to slice the blond's back open with its crescent edge. Unfortunately, the young woman caught on right away and quickly backpedaled. She also gave his axe a good tap after it had passed to cause his swing to go wide leaving himself open.

A gasp escaped his lips as the Aesir tried to bury the axe-end of her weapon in his thigh, Stark's mail barely holding under the supernatural sharpness of Mjöllnir. 'That went straight through the first set of rings for sure,' he estimated. 'But I think the second layer held, thanks to the padding.' Still felt like someone had hit his bare skin with the edge of a metal ruler, hard.

Gritting his teeth, he transferred all his weight to the affected limb and kicked out with the other leg. He missed Buffy but she was forced to roll to his right to evade it. "Trying to stay close where I have a hard time getting at you or simply defend myself, good tactic," Stark commented.

"Thanks," the girl chirped.

"Won't work though," he rumbled as he turned with the blond while still standing on one leg. Bringing his axe down in a circular motion Stark forced the Aesir to jump away. Seeing an opening he reversed the strike not even wasting to flip the axe-head around. He swung his weapon up as fast as he could and still almost missed the blond.

But only almost, the top horn of the crescent-shaped edge finally scored a hit, and sliced through the girl's abdomen and glanced off her ribs. To her credit, she didn't scream although she did gasp. Of course, the blond didn't have much time to do any screaming before Stark drove home his follow-up attack. With a hop Stark lunged at the still airborne Aesir and hit her full-on with the rim of his shield

The impact sent the blond sailing away, her body sliding a foot or two over the ground after she landed. He had cautiously taken a few steps towards her to see if she was done when Buffy stirred. With pain-filled little grunts and gasps, she scrambled to stand up. Biting her lip every time she had to inhale, Stark was surprised to see that even now there was no real fear in her eyes.

"A good offense is useless without a good defense," Stark boasted as he tapped his shield with his axe. That seemed to get the blond thinking as she tried to uselessly stem the blood loss with her left hand. Frowning at the lack of a verbal response, the Child shrugged and began to stride to the Aesir. 'Guess I won't be needing the others' help after all. I wonder what's taking them so long?'

***

The boy obviously had some training but it was equally obvious he only had the basics down. Elsola worked her jaw as her accelerated healing finished healing the bruise on her chin left from the Aesir's uppercut. Her hands were tingling too after repeatedly hitting that metal armor of his.

'Of course, the boy felt those punches too,' she thought with a smile as she launched herself at the Aesir once more. Trading punches and the occasional kick, most of which were blocked or glanced off that damn skin of his, Elsola figured she'd been toying with him long enough.

"You really think you can face me like an equal?" she asked before she caught the boy's arms with her hands and started to try and push him back.

"Uh, yeah, kinda," the Aesir admitted as pushed back with all his strength. He obviously had to labor to get the words out but he was pushing right back with enough strength to counter her own.

Smiling sweetly, Elsola dug deeper, "You've been an Aesir for what, less than a year? While I have been honing my abilities for decades," she informed him punctuating the statement by showing him a sample of her true strength.

His feet dug into the earth as he was pushed back, his own increase in effort not enough to balance Elsola's out. "You've barely even scratched the surface of your power and you thought you could be a match for a Child of Loki?" Without warning she let go with her right hand and curled it into a fist. Xander was still halfway falling forward after the loss of pressure when her uppercut lifted him off the ground.

Redirecting that momentum, she swung the boy around changing to a two-handed grip as Elsola did so. She ended this juggling act by throwing the Aesir over her shoulder and into the very ground he had stood on only a few moments before.

His yelp told Elsola he had certainly felt that. The redhead hadn't let go off the boy's arm and now she used it to turn him over until he was lying on his belly. "You just don't understand your own power," Elsola said as she changed position so she had her right knee resting on his upper arm while keeping it stretched out with her hands.

"For example, you thought having impenetrable metal armor means it makes you invulnerable. That's wrong, it just means I can pound you all day and I'll never do anything worse than bruise you. But if I were to do this," she told him while pulling at his arm with all her might trying it to bent in the complete wrong direction.

Xander tried to get up, pushing himself up with his free hand but some extra pressure from Elsola stopped that. He tried to twist his arm free, pound her leg awkwardly as his limb and metal skin tried to fight against her pull. With a screech, the metal crumpled and his elbow was suddenly bent 90 degrees in the wrong direction.

The pain filled scream the Aesir gave, seemed to Elsola's ears to contain as much surprise as agony. "Now," she continued as she shifted position to sit on his back, "you might see how this is a problem for you if I, say, do this with your neck." To his credit, he stifled his next whimper when he felt her hands wrap around his head. "Farewell, silly little boy."

***

Sygnin knew she was peculiar even by the standard of the Children, most didn't see the world through more than a dozen pair of eyes after all. Her unconventional appearance lent itself for an unpredictable attack and until tonight that's what it had been, unpredictable.

But this young Aesir was doing just that, countering her every move. 'But it's all defense and no offense,' Sygnin mused. 'She's not doing any damage and I only need one opening, one mistake on her part. And it's only a matter of time before the girl will realize that,' the child thought with glee even as one of her heads flinched at the stinging slap of one of those braids.

'She's exerting herself quite a bit,' Sygnin noted further as a flickering tongue caught a trace of the girl's perspiration. 'Won't be long now until...' She couldn't help but grimace when it did happen, the braids wrapping themselves around her snakes very tightly.

In short order, all of them were caught and the redhead started to strangle them. An involuntary gasp of pain escaped the Child's lips despite the fact she'd actually been counting on something like this. She had little time now, scales offered little protection against this type of attack. So not wasting any time with witty one-liners or gloating, Sygnin sprung her own surprise.

Opening her mouth, she exposed her thirteenth and final snake. With an inarticulate hiss it shot forward at the now defenseless Aesir. 'You should have known snakes like to strike from hiding.' Just because she was smart enough not to warn her opponent didn't mean she couldn't gloat internally.

***

'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' ran through Willow's mind even as it sped up trying to figure out a counter in what little time she had left.

She'd been getting desperate as she started to feel the strain of anticipating the Child's moves while keeping enough presence of mind to actually respond to them. When she had hit on the bright idea of taking a page out of the snake's handbook and try to go for strangling the things, Willow had felt so smart, so proud. 'You thought you were a fighter now, like Buffy. You wanted to go on the attack and show you didn't need rescuing all the time, but here's the proof you aren't so great coming at you.'

There had to be a way to get out of this, except Willow couldn't think of one and she had very little time left. The snake was halfway to her now, it fangs actually leaving a trail of drops of venom behind it. Her attention strayed to her own braids for a moment. She could use one of them to stop the snake, but if she did that it would leave her open to the one she had let go.

So it would only delay her enemy. Unless she figured out to take her opponent out in a single blow in the next second or so, Willow as done for. 'How do I...?' Her eyes widened as the looked at her hair again. 'That's it, it's obvious! I got a resistance to poisons, Siffy said so! I can afford the bite if I keep it limited to one, I hope.'

_"That venom is Eitr! Even one..."_ Siffy's warning started to ring through her mind but it was too late. Two hot daggers pierced her neck and a burning liquid started to pump through her body. She lost her grip on the other's emotions as the acidic poison started to eat away at her flesh.

A pain-filled cry was wretched from Willow as she realized she miscalculated, then her eyes caught sight of the lump that was her enemy's head. Even though it lacked most of the features a human had, it still looked infuriatingly smug to the redhead. Of course, that could just be a fading echo from her empathy.

'You like surprises so much? Here's one for you!' The Aesir thought randomly. Two braids uncoiled themselves from the snakes and then went even further, turning into a mass of individual strands of hair. Putting everything Willow had left into those hairs, she willed them to stiffen, to become as rigid as they were tough. And then willed those hairs forward at the blurry mass that her sight had dissolved into.

There might have been a startled hiss from somewhere before those dozens of needle like hairs impaled the Child, but Willow couldn't tell. She didn't even have enough strength left to stay standing, let alone pay attention to anything but the pain literally eating away at her body. 'I can protect my friends too,' she thought as she fell on her back. 'It's not just them.'

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	30. Showdown Part II

_iI still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work./i_

**Showdown, Part II**

**Construction Site**

Buffy's breath hitched every time she took a deep breath as it sent a fresh flare of pain from her wound. But she couldn't stop herself from taking those deep breaths anyway, she desperately needed the oxygen. She'd managed to hit Stark several times, but while she was certain they had hurt, none of them came close to doing the damage that last attack of his had done to her.

She was losing blood and while Buffy was amazed to find she could actually still stand with her chest laid open like this, the Aesir could also tell it was weakening her. 'This isn't going well,' she admitted to herself as she laid her left hand over the wound.

"A good offense is useless without a good defense," Stark boasted as he tapped his shield with his axe.

'And right now, I don't have either while he's got both!' she lamented. 'But there has to be a solution, a weak spot. Come on, Buffy, think!' And then her opponent began to advance upon her, lending her thought processes some added urgency. 'Think!'

_"Only one way to take him out in your condition," _Mjöllnir broke in._ "And we got no time for questions, just follow my instructions. Close your eyes..."_

'Close my eyes!' Buffy thought back furiously. 'I've got a giant coming towards me, and he's not here to hug me! Actually, given how painful that would be right now, that might be his backup plan if that axe falls apart or something.'

_"Silence!" _Mjöllnir roared. _"There's no time for any of this, you need to trust me and close your eyes. You need absolute concentration for this and you only got a little time to do it! Now close your eyes,"_ the hammer ordered.

For a moment, Buffy pondered that. Just how much did she trust her hammer? Enough to trust her life to it? Enough to trust the lives of her friends to the magical weapon? 'Yes, yes I do.' Closing her eyes, Buffy tried to forget for a brief time about the Child coming to kill her.

_"Good, now I want you to picture lightning. Not just the way it looks, but the way it feels, it's restlessness. Grasp that idea firmly in your mind until you can feel it coursing through your body."_

Doing as she was told, Buffy did her best to image just that. It wasn't easy, at first, not until she recalled that violent thunderstorm when she was six. It had been nighttime then too, about as dark as it was now. She'd seen a lightning bolt strike a tree about 200 feet away, and that moment of brightness had burned itself into her memory.

She'd run downstairs to her parents afterward when the thunder had rattled the windows, but the lightning itself she'd actually thought of as pretty. The way it forked as it made its jagged way down in less than a blink of an eye. The power of it as it cracked and splintered the wood of that old tree.

_"Excellent, now look within yourself and find the place that resonates most..."_ Mjöllnir didn't need to say anymore because Buffy's thoughts were already racing towards that place with lightning-speed. She took a sharp breath when her consciousness made contact with what she could only describe as a pool of electricity.

'No, not electricity,' she corrected herself. 'Lightning.' Lightning that arced out of that well of overflowing power before twisting itself back into the pool. 'Now what do I do?' Buffy wondered as a little of it poured into her, banishing some of her pain and fatigue.

_"Uhm, oh, right. Take a hold of it and then, well, hurl it at your enemy. I advise you to open your eyes for that part. It makes it easier to aim."_

Buffy's amused snort and the stab of pain that elicited, almost lost her what grip she had on this new power. Gritting her teeth, she took a firmer hold and then pulled. Her eyes snapped open on their own as the power began to course through her body, making her feel more alive than even when she recovered from being drowned. Buffy didn't even realize that her left hand was no longer trying to stem the flow of blood from her wound but was now gripping Mjöllnir.

Her gaze sought out Stark's, who stopped for some reason when their eyes met. Buffy didn't stop to wonder why he did that, too busy with gathering more power; enough power to take that son of a bitch out in one strike. The air around her started to crackle as miniature lightning-bolts began to play over her skin and war hammer. The wound on her chest was almost a memory, the pain dulled to a whiny soar.

Raising Mjöllnir above her head, Buffy shouted, "This is for kidnapping my Mom!" With that, she brought the hammer down, pointing it at the mailed giant who was now crouching behind his shield. With an inarticulate roar, the blond Aesir unleashed all the energy at her enemy. The world turned white-blue.

***

Xander couldn't stifle a scream when the troll-lady managed to bend his arms in a direction it was never supposed to go. More importantly, he didn't even want to try. He noted that Elsola was saying something, but he was too busy focusing through the haze of pain on what Fel was telling him to pay any attention to the actual words she was using.

_"Sorry about that, but she's right, I can't protect you from simple bending. But don't worry, I'll have your arm healed in a minute or two. It's what I do, accelerating healing to even beyond what a wielder of Mjöllnir gets."_

A fresh stab of agony went through him when Elsola unexpectedly let go of the arm and it hit the floor before Xander had a chance to brace for that impact. There was no real force behind it, but right now his arm couldn't even handle that.

He felt her reposition herself to sit on his back, but didn't pay it much attention. He was too busy feeling relieved as Fel soothed the pain and started to reattach the torn tendons and muscles. Not wanting to give away how fast he was recovering, Xander stifled his sigh of relief just as Elsola's hands wrapped around his head. He didn't need an explanation to tell him what the troll was planning now.

"Farewell, silly little boy," she cooed as Xander tried to think of a way out. His right arm was still useless and with just his left he had no hope of throwing Elsola off. He knew that for a fact because he'd already tried to do that when she was busy playing chiropractor with his arm.

It seemed to take forever for her hands to tense as she prepared to twist his head around, so when the world flashed white-blue Xander thought for a moment that the deed was already done. That he had missed it in his panic.

Then the armored giant sailed through his view, his shield splintered as the biggest lightning-bolt Xander had ever seen played over his chest. He screamed in pain as he writhed in the grips of that bolt of lightning and then he was out of view again.

Meanwhile, the hands on his head had slackened then vanished as had the weight on his back, because Elsola had stood up in her shock, completely forgetting about him. "Impossible," she muttered. "..." Her next words were drowned out by the thunder rolling through the construction site.

Rolling over so he could face Elsola, he was just in time to see her looking down at him with a determined glint in her eyes. "It doesn't matter, that must have taken everything she had. She'll be easy pickings, just like you," the Child told him as she bent over.

"You're right," he told her. Hearing that she stopped in surprise, clearly not expecting him to say that. Xander pressed on, he had an idea now. "I don't know a lot about mythology and such." Purposefully, he brought up his still-weak right arm and punched her in the chest between her breasts. It was more of a push than a punch though, and it only fueled Elsola's confidence who resumed putting her hands on him.

"But," he went on as he angled his fist a little to the right, "I do read comic books!" Before Elsola even had a chance to wonder what he meant by that comment, Xander willed three claws to form between his knuckles. The blades sliced through the troll's thick skin and plunged into her heart.

A look of puzzled surprise flickered across her features, then Elsola roared as she tried to back away only succeeding in doing more damage to herself as the claws now opened up her left lung. As the blades exited her body they sliced away the leather covering her left breast but Xander wisely looked away before he could get a glimpse of that.

He didn't need to add that element to his nightmares, thank you very much. Toppling over onto her back, Elsola coughed then took a rattling breath as she weakly tried to scrabble back up. A few seconds later, another cough racked her body and she collapsed to the ground once more. Her form grew still.

Trying to get his mind of the death-struggles of the troll-lady, Xander looked over at his friends. He was relieved to see that Buffy was alright, She was kneeling as well as leaning on her hammer and there was a bloody gash in her jacket but looked okay for the most part.

The sight of Willow banished all traces of that relief. He barely noticed the sprawling corpse of her opponent, it didn't matter next to the sight of his best friend in obvious distress. The redhead was lying on her back, her body writhing in the pain he could see written in her face. Her eyes were looking in his direction but didn't seem to see him.

"Willow!" he called out as he started to run over to her. Up close, she actually looked worse. Drops of sweat were covering her skin but worse was seeing and smelling parts of her body dissolving before his very eyes. It was isolated to the left shoulder and that side of Willow's neck but that was bad enough. 'This is bad, I got to get her to a hospital right now!'

_"That's Eitr,"_ Fel identified the white stuff still eating away at his best friend. _"No hospital can help her, its a mystical venom as well as an acid that'll eat through almost anything."_

'But I have to do something!' Xander pleaded. 'I can't just stand here and watch her die! And aren't we supposed to be resistant against poisons any way?'

_"And it's the only reason she's still alive, a human would have been dead by now. But you can help her, or better said I can. I can boost her healing, help her system neutralize the poison."_

Xander blinked at that, but after giving it some thought he realized it could work. If she became Fel's wielder than she...

_"Not what I meant,"_ he informed his wielder in a tightly controlled voice. _"What I meant is that you can use me to heal her."_

"Oh, right," Xander let slip, feeling bad at the faint sense of relief he got at hearing that. He had been prepared to give Fel up to save Willow, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have missed the bracelet. 'What do I do?'

_"You need to extend me over the affected area, you must will me to flow over and into her body and then will her to become whole once more."_

That sounded simple, but Xander got the feeling it would proof to be anything but that once he tried. 'Don't think like that. Just remember, "Do or do not. There is no try!" So you're going to help Willow, you're going to heal her.'

Keeping Yoda's lesson in mind, he knelt down and laid his armored hand lightly on the sizzling wound and then he pushed. Xander willed his armor to flow over where Willow was hurt and make her better. For a few long seconds, nothing happened. Then, slowly, liquid silver started to cover the flesh underneath his hand before spreading out.

The more area it covered, the faster it spread. It wasn't until most of Willow's neck and shoulder were covered that the Aesir noticed the cool evening breeze caressing his own neck.

_"Covering someone else leaves you uncovered in that area,"_ Fel explained. _"That's why you really shouldn't do this during a battle."_

Xander barely paid attention to what Fel was saying. He was far too busy with concentrating on healing Willow while worrying about how little he actually knew about anatomy. He just hoped he didn't actually need to know how her insides looked to repair them. Oh sure, he knew the skin went on the outside and the muscles on the inside with the bones underneath that. But that was it. 'Please be okay, please be okay, stay with me Wills. I already lost Jessie, I don't want to lose you too.'

Suddenly, the redhead's eyes stopped staring and focused on him. "Xander?" she whispered, then blinked. "It... It doesn't hurt so much anymore... What... Are you dead too?"

That question nearly made Xander forget what he was doing. "Dead?! No, I'm not... Willow, you're not dead. It turns out I can use Fel to heal people so that's what I'm doing."

That earned him a surprised look from his friend. "I'm not? Oh, that's good... I just don't feel any pain anymore and I thought.... So, you defeated that skanky Child?"

"Uh, oh, Elsola! Yeah, I did a Wolverine and she was sadly comic book illiterate. The poor she-troll didn't stand a chance," he boasted weakly. Knowing somehow that he was done, he willed the silver metal to flow back revealing unblemished skin.

Quite a bit of it, in fact, because the Eitr had dissolved Willow's clothes right along with her flesh so that Xander was now given a good view of her bare shoulder and the swell of her... He quickly looked back up into his friend's eyes. 'Okay, right, boy, Willow's really... Best not go there, Xander. Remember you got a girlfriend who is actually.... And running comparisons is just going to land you into more trouble.'

Wisely deciding that more thinking would just lead to badness, Xander decided he needed to be somewhere else. "Right, looks like you're okay now so I'll be going over to Buffy to see if she needs my services." He frowned. 'Is it just me or did that sound a little dirty somehow?'

_"It's just you,"_ Fel assured him not making Xander feel better about it.

"Buffy!" Willow exclaimed. "Is she okay?"

Xander nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, she looked tired but okay. Just thought she might have a few cuts and bruises she would like some help with." No need to tell her about that bloody gash in her blouse, it wasn't life-threatening after all.

Still, Willow tried to get up only to stop after she had sat up. Swaying a little she, Willow shook her head. "Woah, got a little dizzy. Guess I haven't recovered completely yet. You go ahead and help Buffy, I'll be fine," she assured him.

Xander looked a little skeptical at her, but got up anyway. Hearing how Willow had thought she'd died made him a lot more worried for Buffy. What if she was pretending to be in better shape than she actually was? It would be just something Buffy would do to keep her friends from worrying as much as they rightfully should.

As he jogged over to where the blond was still kneeling, Xander started to think that was exactly what was going on.

***

Her muscles felt like wet spaghetti, yet Buffy still felt strangely energized. The gash across her chest was no longer bleeding and in fact felt like it had been healing for a few days now instead of a few minutes. The blond noticed Xander racing across her field of vision and kneeling besides Willow but she couldn't seem to move her eyes away from her still twitching opponent.

Stark was dead, but the remnants of the energy she'd hurled at him was still coursing through his body and together with the smoke coming of his corpse it made for an unsettling image. But hearing Xander call out Willow's name broke the spell.

Looking over at her friends, she saw Willow lying on the ground in obvious pain. Her first instinct was to get up and see what was wrong, but that didn't work out so well. 'Whoa, this is getting ridiculous,' she thought as she caught her fall by planting her right hand on the ground. 'I got the strength, I can feel it. So why are my muscles so weak right now?'

Her eyes were now pointed at the ground underneath her just in time to see a tiny lightning bolt arc between her thigh and the earth. And Buffy finally realized that the energy she felt flowing through her body wasn't simply a left-over from throwing that lightning-bolt. She was still connected to that well of power. 'Uhm, how do I turn this off?'

Mjöllnir didn't respond for a moment._ "Actually, the problem is usually how to keep it going. I've never encountered this problem before. Of course, I never thought you would be able to draw on your well of power so easily either. I had assumed you would just be able to summon a small lightning-bolt. Anyway, it should peter out on it's own,"_ the war hammer assured her.

Looking up again, Buffy was happy to see Willow doing better. Xander was hunched over her form and she thought she could see part of his armor covering the redhead. 'Didn't know he could do that, but whatever he's doing it must be helping.'

Resigned to having stay where she was, Buffy waited and watched. She only caught snippets of their conversation but hearing that Willow thought she'd died had not been fun. Guilt set in as she realized how close she'd gotten to losing one of them. 'I should have gone alone,' she berated herself. 'They kidnapped my mother, it was my problem.'

_"Please, that's just your protectiveness talking. It's great you want to protect your friends, but this was their fight as much as it was yours. Those Children were here to kill every Aesir, remember. Not just you."_

'Oh.... right, I-I kinda forgot that, didn't I?' Her cheeks colored a little as she realized she'd been about to slip into a funk over something really foolish. Buffy supposed she could still feel guilty if she blamed herself for introducing them to their weapons. They'd been out helping her with her calling that night, after all. Except she knew she couldn't regret finding Mjöllnir and she knew that the guys felt the same way.

Buffy had been so busy pondering about her guilt that her attention had drifted away. So she didn't notice Xander coming over until he was almost beside her. And that energy was still leaking out. "No, don't come...." she started to warn him but it was too late.

Xander was less than a foot away when he took his next step and got zapped. He yelped as he hopped back, his armor stopping most of the charge. "Why did you do that for, Buffster? And what's up with your eyes?"

"I didn't do..." Her expression went from apologetic to puzzled. "What do you mean, what's wrong with my eyes?"

"Well, they're, uhm, they're like these pools of electricity. You know, like little lightning-bolts."

Her eyes widened at that, but Buffy quickly realized it must be a side effect of having this power flowing through her. 'Now that I think about it, Stark was startled to when I looked at him right before I launched that attack on him.'

"It's this new power," she explained. "I can't seem to stop it. I drew a lot of energy into me to throw that lightning-bolt but now it just keeps flowing in and I don't know how to turn it off. Mjöllnir's stumped too."

It wasn't easy to see through the metal skin, but Xander looked concerned now. "Oh, well, that doesn't sound good. I, uh, I came over to ask if you needed some healing done? You see, it turns out Fel can do that, healing people I mean."

Buffy smiled up at him. "Nah, thanks but I think I'm good. And Mjöllnir is sure I'm not going to be like the energizer bunny." She tested her legs and found they were almost up to supporting her weight now. "I should be up to walking again in a minute so why don't you go over to help Willow and we'll start walking to the van. Giles should be getting really worried by now."

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	31. Aftermath

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Aftermath**

**Gleaves Lane**

Giles' hand tightened around Gungnir's shaft as he waited there on the road. He had to lean slightly on the weapon because he still felt the effects of that double teleportation. But the Watcher had no intention of letting anyone see his weakness, be they friend or foe.

They hadn't driven too far before stopping, just putting a little distance between themselves and the first bend in the road. Giles could swear he heard the faint sounds of battle whenever the wind carried them his way. Of course, Buffy hadn't liked this part of the plan.

She had wanted him to take her mother and get as far away as possible but that, Giles had not acquiesced to. He had argued that they needed to know who had won. If it had been Buffy and the others, there was no need to flee. And if the unthinkable happened and the Children were victorious then they couldn't stay in Sunnydale at all.

So there he stood, prepared to either dive into Oz's van at the first sign of pursuers or face them to buy the boy enough time to make his getaway with Mrs. Summers. In truth, Giles preferred the latter if only he could be certain that those Children of Loki would not exact some type of vengeance on Mrs. Summers for the trouble her daughter had caused them.

'And she most certainly did that,' he thought wryly as he glanced back at the van and a quietly steaming Joyce Summers. 'And it's apparently hereditary because her mother most certainly has the same steel.' Once she'd gotten untied the woman had been quite vocal on what they should do. The first item on that list had been getting her daughter, and her friends of course, away from those dangerous people followed by item number two, calling the police.

He frowned. 'She caved on that last point awfully quick. Most likely, she has realized her kidnappers were less than human and this time, she isn't suppressing the oddities of her encounter.'

He looked back to where the survivors of the battle at the construction site would come from. Not too long ago there had been a blue flash of light followed by what could only be described as thunder a second or two after that. Gungnir had identified that as a move from Buffy and Giles tended to agree. The myths did say hurling lightning was one of Thor's abilities.

'But unless Buffy has been doing a lot of secret training, that was most likely a move of desperation,' he once again concluded. And that, did not spoke well on how the battle was going. Especially when paired with the fact that things had gotten quieter after that lightning strike.

A streetlight, its glow just visible through the trees, suddenly winked out. Giles brought his spear up, his body tensing as he readied himself. Another streetlight gave out, this one was closer so he noticed it had flickered a little before giving up completely.

His thoughts turned grim as Giles realized someone was knocking them out, and he seriously doubted it were his charges. 'They are coming.' He knew that, he focused on this simple fact because thinking of what it meant would lead to painful conclusions. And he couldn't afford those right now.

Though what he didn't know was why the advance was so obvious. The Watcher knew they should leave now, but given how slow their pursuers were going it was obvious there was something amiss. And knowing what that was would be a tactical advantage. So he stood his ground.

Two figures came around the bend and his knees almost buckled as relief hit him like a physical force. 'They're alright!' It was obvious that they weren't fine, since Xander was supporting Willow. But they were ambulatory and didn't seem to be much in a hurry. The last of his worry vanished as the third person trailing a few yards behind them came into view. 'They're all alright!'

Willow and Xander passed underneath the streetlight without incident, but that was not the case with Buffy. She was almost underneath it when the light blinked once, twice, then got very bright before simply exploding cloaking its surroundings in darkness. A darkness that made the pools of blue electricity that were the blond's eyes obvious even from where Giles was standing.

"Oh dear," he muttered.

But his utterance was drowned out by Joyce's exclamation. "Buffy!" And then she sped past him on her way to her daughter. Debating for a moment if he wanted to get into this particular situation, eventually the librarian decided he couldn't let his charge face the full fury of her mother completely on her own.

_"And here I thought you were past the age of taking foolish risks!"_ Gungnir lamented.

***

Joyce knew she should be doing something, anything, other than sitting there in this van waiting for her daughter to come back from her... fight. She had argued, she had shouted, she'd even started to go back, only to be stopped by Mister Giles. He had been polite, but firm and obviously not very happy with the situation himself.

Still, that wouldn't have stopped her if the memory of her kidnappers didn't keep popping up. The realization that they were not human, and then the things they had said about her daughter. She felt adrift, lost in a world that seemed to have changed its very nature on her over night. And her daughter was smack-dab in the middle of it all. 'Buffy, what have you gotten yourself into?'

Long minutes after that single lightning strike that had come from a cloudless sky, Joyce jumped up from her seat once again. This time, it was the sight of Buffy's friends coming around the bend. Xander was supporting Willow but it was too dark and too far for Joyce to see any more than that.

Her heart plummeted to somewhere beneath her stomach as she didn't see Buffy with them, then it leaped in her throat as her daughter came into view as well. Her feet already started to walk towards Buffy when the streetlight her daughter was walking under exploded. But Joyce just quickened her pace, the explosion no more registering on her than the blue glow in her daughter's eyes.

"Buffy!" Joyce exclaimed as she sped past Mr. Giles. A moment later, the librarian followed her but she paid that no more heed than anything else save the sight of her daughter. Her very alive daughter. She'd almost reached Buffy when her friends intercepted her. But even before that, Buffy had actually started to back away from her too.

"Sorry, Mrs. Summers," Xander apologized with Willow still holding his right arm for support. "But that's not exactly safe right now."

"What? What are you talking about?" Behind her, Mr. Giles came to a stop as well.

"He's right, Mom," Buffy broke in. "I'm a walking dynamo right now, I already shocked Xander and he hadn't even touched me."

Those words brought Joyce up short, and she finally noticed Buffy's eyes. "What happened to you?" She didn't know if she meant the eyes, just everything altogether, or maybe both. Actually, it probably was meant to be both.

Buffy's thoughts might have gone in a similar direction because she looked very uncomfortable now. "I, ehm, well, the kidnappers are...uhh....gone! Yep, completely gone. They won't bother you anymore!" That last part she seemed to be directing over her shoulder where Mr. Giles was.

She shrugged it off in favor of more important matters. "Don't change the subject, young lady," Joyce told her sternly as Buffy's friends looked uncomfortable now too. "I want to know why I'm supposed to be careful about getting shocked just because I want to hug you and if it has anything to do with what those... those... people told me."

"What did they tell you?" Buffy asked warily, then hastened to add, "And you shouldn't trust them anyway. Bad guys lie all the time, I think it's in the rules somewhere, so you shouldn't believe anything they've said."

Joyce beheld her daughter for a second as she realized Buffy was trying to cover how worried she was about what the kidnappers had told her mother. And it wasn't because she thought they were lies, she knew Buffy too well to think that. "They were talking about gods and Aesirs and Vampire Slayers. They said you were one! But there's no such thing as vampires!" Nobody said anything after that. Looking around, Joyce noticed they all had a sheepish look now. "Isn't there?"

***

"Isn't there?" Mom asked sounding for all the world like she wanted to be convinced, rather than that she actually believed that still.

'Just great,' Buffy grouched. 'Now I get my mom finding out about the things that go bump on top of my power going all wacky. You said it was going to stop on its own!'

_"I believed it would, but they didn't have this damned electricity everywhere a thousand years ago. It's sustaining the connection and the resultant power surges are destroying all those devices. That's why the streetlights are blowing up,"_ Mjöllnir explained again. _"Things will only get worse if you stay."_

Of course, none of that explanation helped Buffy with dealing with her mother. "Mom, I... You remember I told you I burned down the gym 'cause it was full of vampires?"

Her mother looked puzzled. "Yes, but, but you recanted. After... Well, afterwards you realized there was no such thing as vampires!"

"I lied," Buffy simply said. Her mother's look at hearing those simple words, set the blond off. "Oh come on, Mom. What do you think has been going on for the past two years? The fights, the weird occurrences. How

many times have you washed blood out of my clothing, and you still haven't figured it out?"

Joyce opened her mouth for a retort, but Buffy was on a roll. "Or what did you think your kidnappers were? Wearing make-up, maybe, or did you think this was all part of some movie? Mom, you actually whacked a vampire with a fire-axe during Parent-Teacher Night and you just repressed it right along with everything else that's happened!"

"I, that is...."

Her mother seemed lost, and truth to tell, Buffy wasn't very eager to have this entire discussion right now. 'Are you sure about this solution of yours, because I'm a city-girl.'

_"Quite sure, we need to get you away from all these sources of power and that means getting away from civilization. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be back in time for the new school year."_

'The entire summer!' Buffy almost cried out those words, but she caught herself just in time. 'Well, on the bright side, it means I won't have to be around while my Mom tries to deal with having an Aesir for a daughter.' Then something else hit her. 'Of course, she'll probably explode right here when I tell her I have to go away for the summer.'

Wanting to wrap things up, Buffy continued. "Look Mom, its a long story but.... I got superpowers, so do my friends. This town, along with the rest of the world, is infested with monsters. We do something about that, like we did just now. Now, if you'd found out about this last year I would have told you it was my destiny and that it wouldn't stop until I was dead but things have changed."

Buffy couldn't help but smile as she recalled the last year. For all the heartbreak and crises it had thrown her way, for once they'd all gotten something good out if it all too. "I'm fighting because I chose to, because I can't close my eyes and ignore people dying. I love you and I'm sorry, but I am not going to do that. The world's freaky and so am I."

Her next words were addressed to Giles who had the oddest expression. "Giles, could you go to my house and pack some supplies for me please? My power isn't going to calm down until I'm away from everything electric according to Mjöllnir. So I have to leave, I should be back in a month or two."

Before he could respond, her mother did. "Leave?! For two months! No Buffy, if there's something wrong with you we'll take you to the hospital and they can fix you there," Joyce said clearly hoping that everything could be returned to normal that way.

Buffy caught on too. "Right, and of course the machines that keep the patients breathing and stuff are magically protected! Mom, they can't help me and the damage I would do if I took one step inside... I would be responsible for killing people if I did that and I'm not willing to do that just to convince you I know what I'm talking about. You'll just have to accept that I know what I'm doing."

"Know what you're doing?! Buffy, you're seventeen! You're talking about vampires and superpowers, and that's just.... that's.... I don't understand," Joyce added in an almost defeated tone.

Buffy's indignation running out of steam, guilt started to trickle in. "Mom, I-I don't know what more I can say to make you believe the truth and I don't have the time either. I'm sorry I can't stick around to explain everything to you, but I'm sure Giles will be happy to once I'm gone!" she added in a chipper tone.

Giles, on the other hand, did not look happy at hearing that. "And what does he have to with all of this?" her mother asked before wheeling on the man. "Did you get my daughter involved in all of this?" But she didn't even wait for his answer before continuing on. "How could you do that! She's still a child! Well, it stops here. You can...."

"Blame me," Buffy said. Those two words neatly stopped her mother's tirade. Incredulously, Joyce looked back at her daughter. The blond Aesir went on. "I got him involved, Mom. I got everybody involved. If you want to blame someone, you should blame me. I'm the one that started it all."

Not completely accurate, but it was close enough. Giles wouldn't have been here if Buffy hadn't lost her first Watcher and moved to Sunnydale. Her guilt was clearer when it came to Xander and Willow, but she didn't think now was the time to go into detailed explanations. A small lightning bolt arced from the ground to underline the urgency, but her Mom didn't even notice.

She was too busy staring at Buffy, whispering her name. Then she shook her head. "But you're still seventeen... He's an adult and obviously...."

Again, Buffy cut her off. She was getting anxious, scared that the built-up of power she started to feel would discharge and harm her mom. "Mom, there's no time to argue about any of this. I have this power and a responsibility to use it right. I won't stop doing that because it makes you uncomfortable. I'm sorry Mom, I love you, but I just won't do that. And I don't like going Crocodile Buffy anymore than you do but in case you haven't noticed, we're getting close to having a spontaneous lightning strike here."

She turned to Giles again. "Get me some clothes, a sleeping bag and anything else I got no clue I might need for this survival stuff. Mjöllnir says he knows all about surviving in the wilderness but that doesn't mean I am planning on sleeping on bare rocks or anything."

She turned to Willow. "Could you go with him and help him with some of the more, huh, girl-stuff I don't want him seeing let alone touching?" Buffy pleaded. "I would ask Mom, but she's still busy dealing so... Can you do that for me?"

Willow nodded and put on a brave face, stepping away from Xander to show she wasn't as weak as Buffy had thought. She did keep her other arm on a clearly concerned Oz who had joined them while Buffy and her mother were arguing, but she wasn't leaning on him. "Yeah, I can do that. I'm feeling a lot better now."

The blond felt like arguing about that, but she could sense there was no time for any of that. Shooting the redhead a grateful smile, she turned around. "I'll meet you at Kingman's Bluff," she let them know before running off.

Buffy felt a little guilty for leaving the guys to deal with her Mom but she was just a little too tired to keep arguing with her mother while worrying she might get accidentally hurt at any moment. As she forced some of the power into her legs, she was relieved to notice it was actually helping a little. The hum in the air was dropping noticeably.

'Maybe this can work, maybe I don't have to leave the comforts of indoor plumbing and shoe-shops after all.' A zap and a squeal a few feet to her right made the Aesir flinch. 'Guess not.'

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	32. Epilogue

_I still do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Norse mythology._

_I'd like to take a moment to thank Tammin for his hard work._

**Epilogue**

**Mayor's Office**

Mayor Richard Wilkins III was quiet for a moment after Alan finished his preliminary report. The young man looked tired, which was no surprise as he'd spent most of the very early hours of the morning collating what little information was available so far.

None of which was good, from Wilkins' perspective. "Right then," he began. "I think you should let Bob know that the incident with the streetlights and the vandalism of the construction site are not related. The latter is obviously a college prank where as the streetlights malfunctioning is likely yet another instance of the ill-maintained Californian power grid not serving its citizens as it should."

"Uhm, yes, sir. That should work for our public statement. Uhm, do you want him to investigate anything or just drop the matter?"

"Drop it," he waved the matter away. "I'm more interested in where our resident Aesir are now. You're sure you found all three of the Children there?"

The deputy-mayor blinked. "Uh, we think so. It's hard to tell, but we found one hole made by acid, a vaguely humanoid shaped boulder, and a group of mushrooms. They all seem to correspond with a fight and you said nothing about Aesir leaving anything like that behind when they die."

"Because they don't. No, they just leave a corpse like any human would. Which means Plan A has failed completely," the Mayor noted calmly. "And it didn't even land any of them in the hospital," he mused almost wistfully.

Waving the matter away, Wilkins leaned back in his chair. "This does leave the question of how they managed it. Redouble our surveillance efforts, Allan, find out what our people missed the first time."

"Any-Anything you would like them to pay attention to in particular, sir?"

"Hmmm, see if they didn't miss an Aesir. Yes, either a fourth member of Miss Summer's little group is an Aesir or perhaps they've made contact with another one."

The deputy-mayor made a note. "So they should take a good look at anybody new in the Slayer's circle, I will relay that. Uhm, I assume you want to continue using just our human employees for this?"

"Yes, of course. It's more important than ever that we don't make our resident godlings suspicious. No, I want them to remain focused on the more obvious threats. Speaking of which, I best call Val to let him know what went wrong. We can always hope they'll try again immediately."

"And if they decide to not try right away," Allan asked.

Wilkins shrugged. "That would be unfortunate, but not a real problem. Heck," the Mayor continued as his lips parted in a jovial smile. "Even if they survive to the grand finale, they'll still only inconvenience my plans. Or do you honestly think a bunch of children can outfox little old me?"

His tone of voice was friendly enough, but Allan still shook his head frantically prompting Wilkins to sigh mentally. The man certainly lacked his father's steadiness. "If that's everything, I think it would be best if you put your people on it now, Allan."

**Bilskirnir**

"Damnation, and you're source was sure they all survived?" Val's lord asked him suspiciously.

"He seemed certain of it," Val carefully pointed out.

"How did three Aesir who had just come into their power defeat my Children? How? And then there's this Wilkins' motivation to be so forthcoming," Loki mused. "This latest information smells like prodding to me. Do you know why he wants us to get rid of them?"

"I know... less than I would like to, my Lord. Wilkins believes the reason for the defeat is a fourth member, but...."

"There hasn't been any Aesir active in Midgard for two centuries, and nobody has ever stored four of the galdra-vél together," Loki finished for him. "It's either one or three, that's the tradition."

Val nodded. "As you say, but he may be onto something. As for the other matter, Wilkins is a sorcerer who has seemed to have made some kind of deal with a number of demons. He hasn't aged since he founded the town on top of the Hellmouth and has consistently run it in a demon-friendly manner."

"And having even one Aesir in his domain would upset matters, that would make sense. But we do not work for him. I want Mjöllnir for my own reasons, and I'll retrieve it on my terms. His incomplete information has cost me three Children and the ultimate cost of killing Thor will only go up as these children learn." Val said nothing, unsure if his master had forgotten for a moment that the current wielder of Mjöllnir was a girl.

"And yet you will have to delay this personal vendetta," a female voice interrupted. Both of their heads whipped around to see who had dared to enter the conversation with an order. They were confronted with not one, but two intruders.

One was female, the other male. Both looked almost human, except for the gold and silver sheen respectively of their skin. It made their timeless features stand out stronger. The woman continued. "Because the Vanir require you to direct all your energy elsewhere."

"Ah, Freya, Freyr," Loki greeted them warmly. "So good of you to barge in unannounced. Now, what are you babbling about? We agreed when I joined you that the hunt for the Aesir would be my right, has the council decided otherwise in my absence?" Val himself wisely kept his mouth shut. The Vanir did not hold his kind in high esteem.

"Nothing of the sorts," Freyr assured him swiftly. "My sister refers to your primary obligation of supporting the endeavors of the Vanir, of which you are a member."

Freya picked up where her brother left off. "King Gymir marches on Utgard as we speak, trying to reclaim his land once more, and the Frost Giants are supporting him as well. But your ally Surtr is slow to muster his forces in response. We would have sent word to him directly, but..."

"He's my ally," Loki cackled. `Not yours. Still, it's strange he wouldn´t rush to meet his enemies. I´ll send a message straight away and send you more of my Children to strengthen your defenses in the mean time. I hope that meets with your approval?"

"It does," Freya responded bluntly.

"And with our gratitude," Freyr added right after trying to soften his sister's words. "Of course, once things settle down we will not object in the slightest when you return your attention to other pursuits. But right now, we are all threatened and so we should stand together."

Smiling pleasantly, Loki nodded. "Yes, yes, naturally. You can see yourself out, I trust?"

Nodding in the affirmative, a portal opened behind the pair and they stepped through it. Never did they turn their back to Loki. His lord waited a moment longer after the portal had closed before speaking. "I hate to say it, but they are right. With a golden opportunity like this knocking on our door, I can't afford distractions. After all, my 'fellow Vanir' will be very cross once they lose their precious access to Jötunheim's energies. Especially when they find out I've been busy developing a way to trap those same energies. But they'll pay my price, the weak-willed addicts will convince themselves they have no choice!"

Loki laughed loudly now, only to abruptly stop a few seconds later. "And on that note, best you start putting up those wards now. I don't want those people coming in here without an invitation any longer."

"At once, my Lord." Bowing to Loki, Val turned around and strode out of the hall. There were a lot of preparations to make.

**Outside of Sunnydale**

Walking towards the rising sun, Buffy didn't actually feel tired even though she'd been up all night and had just barely won a fight to the death against someone that was stronger than her. So it wasn't fatigue that made her trudge through the barren landscape heading for the mountains on the horizon. It was reluctance.

She'd half-dreaded meeting her mom again on Kingman's Bluff, but that was forgotten when neither she nor Giles showed up there. Instead, only Xander, Willow, and Oz met her there. Apparently, the police had left someone at her home and they were naturally curious what had happened. So they'd carted her mom and Giles off to the station to make a statement.

The guys had done their best to pack, but what Buffy missed the most was the chance to say goodbye to her Mom. 'Right now, anyway. In a week, that's probably going to be replaced by indoor plumbing.'

_"Not to mention TV," _Mjöllnir chimed in. _"Of course, it's mostly reruns anyway. We should be back by the time they start showing fresh material."_

'Easy for you to say, you're the one that hasn't had a problem lying around in a cave for a thousand years,' Buffy shot back. 'Unlike you, I got needs. Like food, water, and shoes!'

_"I can help you with the first two, I think."_

Buffy stopped dead in her tracks. "You think!" she yelled into the morning. A small bolt of lightning jumped from her hand holding the strap of her bag to a nearby bush. It promptly caught fire.

With a curse, Buffy dropped her bag and shrugged off her jacket so she could use that to try and put out the flame. But not before she uprooted the bush and threw some sand on it.

Buffy was still patting at the bush when the war hammer continued, its tone growing defensive. _"I would let you know my wielders had experience with surviving in a lot of different types of terrain. It's just... that none of them ever had to do so around here. But most of the principles should hold up,"_ Mjöllnir added.

'Should hold up, huh? Yeah, that just fills me with confidence.' But after donning her jacket and picking up her bag, Buffy did start to walk again, and not back to Sunnydale.

**THE END**

_Author's Notes: And so ends this story, but as you can tell a sequel is in the works. I hope you've enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it._


End file.
